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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WIBSTER.N.Y.  145M 

(716)  •73-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notat/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquaa 


T 
tc 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
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□    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I   Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 
D 
D 
D 


D 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAa  et/ou  pelliculte 


I      I   Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I   Coloured  maps/ 


Cartas  gAographiques  an  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autres  documents 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  iiura  serrie  paut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  10  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
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mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  Ati  filmAas. 


r~~l/Addltional  comments:/ 

Uiu    Commentairas  supplAmentairas: 


Irregular  pagination 
of  focus. 


L'Institut  a  microfilmA  la  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  M  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthode  normale  de  filmaga 
sont  indiquto  ci-dessous. 


I     I   Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagies 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurias  et/ou  pelliculAas 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  dicolorAes,  tachatAes  ou  piqudes 


I — I   Pages  damaged/ 

I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r7~U  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


T 

P 
o 
fi 


O 
b( 
t^ 
si 

01 

fi 
si 

oi 


□   Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditach^as 

r~y  Showthrough/ 
L_]   Transparence 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  intgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  material  supplimantaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Tl 
Si 

Tl 
w 

M 
di 
er 
b( 

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re 


D 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  rafilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellament 
obscurcias  par  un  fauillet  d 'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  filmtes  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


(2UU2,  [7]-495p.  Wrinkled 


may  film  slightly  out 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


J 


12X 


1SX 


aox 


24X 


28X 


32X 


e 

6tails 
s  du 
lodifier 
r  une 
Image 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  tho  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g6nArositA  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  6t4  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettet*  de  l'exemplaire  f  ilm«,  at  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fiimaga. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  fiimis  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film^s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — *>  signlfie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signlfie  "FIN". 


IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  franws  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
f ilmfo  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  film*  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iilustrent  la  mAthode. 


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to 


pelure. 
n  A 


out 


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2 

3 

f  t  3 

4  5  6 


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^,,0t  OF  m,CB 


V 


OR, 


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<9. 


PARIS  IN  1851. 


BT  SIB  FRANCIS  HEAD, 


Sei'rrtf  tl/9 


"BUBBLES  PROM  THE  BRUNNEN  OF  NASSAU." 

"  as  I  imrsued  my  jonrnej, 
I  spy^d  a  wrinkled  Hag;  with  Age  grown  double, 
Picking  dry  Sticka,  and  mumbliDg  to  herselil" 


AOTUORaSD  COPYRiaUT  aSPRlA'T  FRO^  3tR.  MURRAY'S  PROOF  Saua. 


TWO  VOLUMES  COMPLETE  IN  ONE. 


IP^  NEW.yOBK: 

GEORG'E  P.  PUTNAM,  155  BROADWAY. 

1852, 


PREFACE. 


•  •■ 


Kearly  forty  years  ago  I  happened  to  be  in  Paris  for 
three  or  four  months.  Lately,  on  a  yery  short  notice,  I 
had  occasion  to  go  to  it  again.  Being  detained  there 
rather  more  than  three  weeks  by  an  oculist,  whose  pre- 
scriptions confined  me  to  the  house  several  hours  a  day, 
I  eked  out  the  rest  of  my  time  by  taking  a  few  notes. 

In  passing  through  London  I  had  hastily  obtained 
eight  or  ten  letters  of  introduction ;  but,  as  on  reading 
Galignani's  excellent  guide-bookj  I  found  that  every  thing 
I  could  reasonably  desire  to  see  would,  on  application  in 
writing,  or  on  the  production  of  my  passport,  be  thrown 
open  to  me — ^with  almost  a  single  exception — I  returned 
the  whole  of  them,  preferring  to  throw  myself  on  the  hos- 
pitality of  the  public  authorities  of  Paris,  rather  than  be 
indebted  to,  and  probably  embarrassed  by,  private  favours. 

During  my  brief  residence  in  the  French  metropolis, 
excepting  three  days,  I  dined  and  breakfasted  by  myself. 
I  never  entered  a  theatre ;  only  once  a  cafd.  I  neither 
paid  nor  received  visits.  In  short,  I  totally  abstaiued  from 
any  other  society  than  that  which  I  had  the  happiness  to 
enjoy  in  the  public  streets. 


Is  PREFACE. 

My  amusements  solely  consisted  in  collecting  literary 
sticks,  picked  up  exactly  in  the  order  and  state  in  which  I 
chanced  to  find  them.  They  are  thin,  short,  dry,  sapless, 
crooked,  headless,  and  pointless.  In  the  depth  of  winter, 
however,  a  faggot  of  real  French  Sticks — although  of  little 
intrinsic  value — may  possibly  enliven  'for  a  few  moi^ents 
an  English  Fireside.  I  therefore  with  great  diffidence 
offer  them  to  my  readers,  and,  hoping  the  fuel  I  have  col- 
lected for  them  may  be  deemed  worth  burning,  I  beg  leave 
most  cordially  to  wish  them 


"A  MERRT  Christmas  and  a  happy 

Year." 


New 


i 


N.  B. — Ab  the  foot-notes  in  these  volumes  contain  nothing  but  trans- 
lations— ^for  the  assistance  of  those  who  do  not  understand  French— of  the 
sentences  to  which  they  refer,  the  general  reader  may  ride  over  them 
without  notice. 


f-^-j       i  I-  y 


CONTENTS. 


■i-<dii. 


9MM 


Preface , 

The  Start , 9 

TheStroU 24 

Entreprise  G^n6ral6  des  Omnibus 41 

Caf6de  Paris 45 

Placode  la  Bastille 49 

Horse  Establishment 62 

The  Equarrisseur 56 

The  Poor  of  Paris 61 

Jardin  des  Plantes 69 

Messageries  G^n^rales  de  France 79 

Th^5,tre  des  Animaux  Sauvages 81 

Abattoir  des  Coohons 91 

Gardens  of  the  Tuileries .* 96 

Pavilion  de  I'Horloge 100 

La  Madeleine 108 

Preparaticms  for  the  FSte  of  the  Bepublio 106 

Abattoir  de  Moiitmartre .^ Ill 

Great  Norther  l  'Railway 116 

Sunday,  the  4th  c  r  May 181 

The  Oculist 148 

Hotel  des  Invalides 164 

Military  Models 169 

Musde  de  PArtillerie iVS 

Post-office Iti 

Pr^fet  de  Police 189 

The  Commissionnaire 201 

Halle  aux  Vins 211 

Versailles 217 

Institution  Nationale  des  Jeunes  Aveugles 285 

Mont  de  Pi6t6 248 

The  Chifibnuier 218 


f 


''     1 


8 


CONTENTS. 


rAsa 

My  Lodging 268 

Imprimerie  Nationale 264 

La  Morgue 272 

Dog  Market 277 

Hospioo  de  la  VieillesBe 281 

Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Metiers 285 

Fantlieon 289 

Hospice  des  EnfiuiB  Trouv^s 294 

Lefaye  et  Lafltte 800 

TheElys^e 805 

March6  da  Vieoz  Linge 807 

LaCrdohe 811 

Institution  Nationale  des  Sourds-Muets 818 

Boulage 824 

Hospiue  des  Femmes  Incurables 827 

The  Artesian  Well 886 

H6tel  des  Monnaies ^ 840 

Waslung-boats 849 

The  Place  de  GrSve 852 

Entreprise  des  Fompes  Fundbres 8^59 

Eoole  Folytechnique .,  862 

Ecole  Nationale  des  Fonts  et  Ghaussdes 867 

Les  Casernes 870 

Eoole  Sp6oiale  Militaire  de  St.  Cyr ...  880 

Ecole  d'Etat  M^or 891 

La  Grande  Chaumidre 404 

The  National  Assembly 412 

Lyons  Bulway 420 

Beview 480 

Frison  Module 448 

Fire  la  Chaise 449 

Owdasion 480 

>  -       ■    r  I          ^  .        "    "  '^ 


■tt, 


>■  / 


»,         M 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FKENCH  STICKS. 


•  ••■ 


THE    START. 

At  eleven  o'clock  of  the  night  of  the  29th  of  April,  a.d.  1851, 
the  London  train,  after  two  or  three  rejoicing  whistles, 
reached  Dover,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  I  was  on  the  threshold 
of  one — I  know  not  which— of  that  long  list  of  "  excellent 
hotels  "  whose  names,  the  instant  I  stepped  out  of  the  train, 
had  been  simultaneously  dinned  into  my  ear  by  every  descrip- 
tion  of  voice,  from  squeaking  treble,  apparently  just  weaned, 
to  a  gruff  hoarse  double-bass,  compounded  in  about  equal 
parts  of  chronic  cough,  chronic  cold,  chronic  sore  throat,  gin, 
rum,  hoUands,  bitters,  brandy,  hot  water,  and  filberts. 

The  narrow  outline  of  the  house-lad  who,  walking  back- 
wards, had  been  elastically  alluring  me  onwards,  and  the 
bent  head  of  the  sturdy  house-porter,  who,  with  my  portman- 
teau on  his  back  and  my  blue  writing-box  pendant  in  his 
right  hand,  was  following  me,  so  clearly  explained  my  predi- 
cament, that,  on  entering  a  large  coffee-room  full  of  square 
and  oblong  mahogany  tables,  an  over-tired  waiter,  in  a  white 
neckcloth,  dozing  in  an  arm-chair,  no  sooner  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  approaching  group,  than  with  the  alacrity  with  which 
Isaac  Walton  would  have  twitched  at  his  rod  the  instant  his 
colored  goose-quill  bobbed  under  water,  whirling  a  white 
napkin  under  his  left  arm,  he  shuffled  on  his  heels  towards  a 
large  tawdry  chandelier,  twisted  with  his  right  hand  three  or 
four  gaslights  to  their  maximum  flare,  and  then,  with  the 

.1* 


4V9Hm 


10 


A  FAoooT  or  niKyai  stivk>'<. 


jabber  of  a  monkey,  repeating  to  me  the  surnames  of  a  variety 
0^  joints  of  cold  meat,  ne  ended  by  asking  me  "  What  X  would 

S lease  to  take  ?"  In  reply  to  his  comprehensive  question,  I 
esired  him  to  screw  back  all  those  lamps  which  were  nearly 
blinding  me,  and,  as  soon  as  I  had  returned  to  the  enjoyment 
of  comparative  darkness  sufficient  to  be  able  to  look  calmly 
at  his  jaded  face,  in  three  words  I  withered  all  his  hopes  by 
quietly  asking  him  for  the  very  thing  in  creation  which  of  ail 
others  he  would  have  plucked  from  my  mind — "  a  bedroom 
candle." 

After  turning  on  his  heels  and  walking  like  a  bankrupt 
towards  the  door,  without  the  addition  or  subtraction  of  a 
single  letter,  he  telegraphically  repeated  my  words ;  and  ac- 
cordingly in  less  than  a  minute  a  very  ordinary  sort  of  a 
chambermaid,  with  a  face  and  brass  candlestick  shining  at 
each  other,  conducted  me  up  two  or  three  steps,  then  up 
about  half  a  dozen  more— of  the  exact  number  in  both  in- 
stances she  carefully  admonished  me — then  along  a  carpeted 
passage  that  sounded  hollow  as  I  trod  upon  it,  then  sharp  to 
the  left,  and  eventually,  after  all  this  magnificent  peroration, 
into  a  very  little  room,  almost  entirely  occupied  by  a  large 
family  four-post  bed,  the  convex  appearance  of  which  corro- 
borated what  was  verbally  explained  to  me — that  the  feathers 
were  uppermost.  As  soon  as  mv  conductress  had  deposited 
her  candle  on  a  little  table,  which,  excepting  a  tiny  washing- 
stand  in  the  corner,  was  the  only  companion  in  the  way  of 
furniture  the  bed  had  in  the  room,  she  wished  me  good  night ; 
in  reply  to  which  I  asked  her  to  promise  me  most  faithfully 
that  I  should  be  called  in  time  to  ''  cross"  by  the  first  packet. 
**  I  will  go  and  put  it  dow?i  on,the  slate,  Sir !"  she  replied ; 
and  as  she  seemed  to  hav«  implicit  confidence  as  to  the  re- 
sult, J.  soon  divested  my  mind  and  its  body  of  all  unneces- 
sary incumbrances,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  lost  to  the  world 
and  to  myself,  I  sank  into  oblivion  and  feathers. 

I  had  been  dead  and  buried  for  an  unknown  period,  when 
I  was  gradually  and  rather  uncomfortably  awaked  by  the  re- 
petition of  an  unpleasant  noise,  which,  on  opening  my  ears 
and  eyes,  I  discovered  to  be  the  pronunciation  at  intervals, 
from  the  mouth  of  a  short,  thin,  pale,  wiry  young  man,  on 
whose  pensive  face,  jacket,  and  trowsers  were  various  little 
spots  of  Wacking,  of  the  words  "Four  o'clock,  Sir  1" 


-.V.--.--'V-  f-t  <.-ff*.'< "-.•. 


.._„^^'fel^^^^ 


man,  oa 


THE  START.  || 

As  the  pao?  3t  was  not  to  sail  till  five,  I  had  plenty  of 
time  to  prepare,  and  yet  I  should  have  preferrecl  to  have 
been  more  hurried.  As  long  as  I  was  employed  in  washinc 
I  got  on  very  well ;  but  when  in  my  secluded  little  aerial 
chamber  I  sat  down  to  whet  my  razor,  soap  my  ohin,  brush 
it,  turn  it  all  white,  and  then  look  at  it  in  a  small  swing-glasa, 
I  could  not  help  feeling  that  the  next  time  those  serious 
operations  were  performed,  I  should  be  out  of  old  England, 
vagabondizing  in  a  foreign  land  I 

It  was  as  dull  a  morning  as  I  ever  remember  to  have  be- 
held, and  every  thing  seemed  to  be  conspiring  to  make  it  so. 
From  the  chimnevs  of  the  diminutive  houses  that  appeared 
before  me— one,  if  possible,  more  insignificant-looking  than 
the  other — there  exuded  no  smoke.  At  the  Custom-house 
there  was  nothing  to  cheer  or  excite  me  ;  nothing  in  my  bag- 
gage that  elicited  the  smallest  remark.  The  searcher  looked 
as  if  he  knew  it  would  be  perfectly  uninteresting,  and  it  was 
so.  There  was  no  sunshine,  rain,  hail,  or  sleet ;  only  a  very 
little  wind,  and  that  foul. 

.  On  stepping  on  board  the  packet,  the  deck  of  which  hav- 
ing been  just  washed  was  shining  with  wet,  I  found  it  con- 
tained four  passengers  besides  myself.  There  Was  no  call- 
ing, hallooing,  taking  leave,  or  crying,  but  a  few  minutes  past 
five  the  paddles  began  to  move  slowly ;-  revolve ;  splash. 
Without  any  one  to  watch  us,  follow  us,  or  even  from  a  little 
window  wave  a  handkerchief  at  us,  we  glided  away  from  the 
little  houses,  through  the  little  harbour,  alongside  of  the  little 
pier — at  the  end  of  which  stood  a  little  man  with  a  large 
spy-glass  under  his  arm — and  thus,  taking  leave  of  Great 
Britain,  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  in  the  Channel. 

The  water  and  the  clouds  were  slate-colour ;  there  welre  no 
waves,  no  white  breakers,  no  sign  of  life  in  the  sea  except  a 
sort  of  snoring  heaving  movement,  as  if,  under  the  influence 
of  chloroform,  it  were  in  a  deep  lethargic  sleep.  My  fellow- 
passengers,  I  saw  at  a  glance,  were  nothing  in  the  whole 
world  but  two  married  couples ;  and  as  I  paced  up  and  down 
the  deck,  while,  on  the  contrary,  they  took  up  positions  from 
which  during  the  passage  they  never  moved,  I  vibrated  be- 
tween them.  One  young  woman,  apparently  the  wife  of  a 
London  tradesman,  sat  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  vessel  in  the 
wrong  place.     Her  little  husband  kept  very  kindly  advising 


12 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


her  to  move  away  from  the  sprinkling  of  the  paddle-wheel. 
She  would  catch  cold ; — she  would  get  her  bonnet  wet  ;•— she 
would  be  more  comfortable  if  she  would  sit  anywhere  else. 
She  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  listened  to  every  letter,  every 
syllable,  every  word  as  he  pronounced  it :  but  no,  there  she 
sat,  with  red  cheeks,  bright  eyes,  and  curly  hair,  as  inani- 
mate as  a  doll.  My  other  compagnons  de  voyage  were  a 
pair  of  well-dressed  young  persons  of  rank,  apparently  but 
lately  married.  On  all  subjects  they  seemed  to  think  ex- 
actly alike,  and  on  none  more  so  than  in  being  both  equally 
uncomfortably  affected  by  some  slight  smells  and  movements 
which  assailed  them.  For  a  short  time  the  young  bride  sat  up, 
— then  reclined  a  little, — ^then  a  very  little  more, — then— 
with  a  carpet-bag  as  a  pillow — lay  almost  flat  on  the  bench ;  her 
well-formed  features  gradually  losing  colour  until,  shrouded  by 
a  large  blue  cloth  cloak,  for  the  rest  of  the  passage  they  dis- 
appeared altogether  from  view.  The  husband  in  a  mute  si- 
lence sat  sentinel  over  her ;  but,  long  before  her  face  had 
been  hid,  not  only  had  his  mustachios  assumed  a  very  mournful 
look,  but  his  face  had  become  a  mixture  of  pipe-clay  and  tallow. 

As,  without  a  human  being  to  converse  with,  I  continued 
walking  backwards  and  forwards — a  small  circular  space 
round  the  engine  was  the  only  dry  spot  on  the  deck — assailed 
sometimes  by  a  hot  puff,  then  by  a  cold  one,  then  by  a  smoky 
one,  and  then  by  one  rather  warm  and  greasy,  I  observed, 
lying  perfectly  idle  and  close  to  the  cabin  stairs,  a  pile  of 
about  a  dozen  white  washhand-basins,  one  placidly  resting  in 
the  other.  Pointing  to  them,  I  thought  it  but  kind  inquisi- 
tively to  look  at  the  young  sentinel;  and  although  with  a 
slight  bow  he  faintly  and  apparently  rather  gratefully  shook 
his  head,  there  was  legibly  imprinted  on  his  countenance  the 
answer  which,  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  the  slave  Morgiana 
gave  to  the  question  of  the  forty  thieves, — ^"  Not  yet,  but  pre- 
sently." 

In  the  brief  fleeting  space  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour, 
diversified  only  by  the  few  events  I  have  recorded,  we  had' 

?[uietly  scuflled  as  nearly  as  possible  half  way  across  the  de- 
ensive  ditch  on  which  Old  England  so  insecurely  rests  for 
protection  from  invasion.  Our  course  was  here  enlivened  by 
small  flights  of  wild  fowl  flying  but  a  few  inches  above  the 
water,  with  necks  outstretched,  as  stiff  as  if  they  had  been 


( I 


W 


'Ml 


as  inani* 


THE  START. 


i% 


fitted ;  indeed,  so  straight  was  their  coarse  and  so  regalaf 
was  the  flapping  of  their  wings,  that  a  tiny  column  of  smoka 
from  each  would  have  giyen  them  the  appearance  of  flying 
by  steam. 

The  little  low  sand-hills  which,  in  contradistinction  to 
the  chalky  clifis  of  Albion,  form  the  maritime  boundaries  of 
France,  were  now  clearly  delineated.  In  about  ten  minutes 
the  church  and  lighthouse  of  Calais  became  visible,  and  in  a 
few  more  we  approached  the  extreme  point  of  the  long  pier< 
On  entering  the  harbour  we  passed  a  few  soldiers  and  pedes* 
trians  so  rapidly  that,  as  they  dropped  astern,  they  appeared, 
although  evidently  leaning  forwards,  to  be  in  fact  stepping 
backwards.  The  steep  roofs  and  upper  windows  of  houses 
were  now  to  be  seen  peeping  over  the  green  ramparts  that 
surrounded  them ;  and  I  had  hardly  time  to  look  at  them, 
and  at  the  picturesque  costumes,  strange  uniforms,  ana 
foreign  faces  above  us,  when  the  words  were  given-** 
"  Ease  her — stop  her — ^back  her ;"  a  rope  coiled  in  th4 
hand  of  one  of  our  sailors  was  heaved  aloft,  secured  round 
a  post,  and  thus  in  exactly  one  hour  and  forty-five  minutes 
we  made  our  passage  from  the  pier  of  Dover,  to  that  froitt 
whence  a  number  of  bearded  and  smooth-chinned  faces  were 
looking  down  upon  us.  Although  some  twenty  feet  beneath 
them,  it  is  the  property  of  an  Englishman,  as  it  is  that  of 
water,  to  find  his  own  level,  and,  accordingly,  no  sooner  wag 
a  long  wooden  staircase  lowered  from  the  pier  to  the  deck, 
than  I  slowly  ascended,  until  I  found  first  one  foot  and  then 
the  other  firmly  planted  on  the  continent  of  Europe  and  in 
the  republic  of  France. 

I  was  returning  as  well  as  I  could  the  momentary  glance 
of  a  great  variety  of  eyes,  and  was  trying  to  satiate  my  ouri" 
osity  by  looking  at  them  all  at  once,  when  I  observed  ap- 
proaching me  a  venerable-looking  gentleman,  as  grey-headed 
as  myself,  who,  in  a  confidential  tone  of  voice,  amounting 
almost  to  a  whisper,  delivered  himself  of  a  speech  which,  com- 
ing out  of  him  with  the  utmost  fluency,  appeared  to  explain 
most  clearly  the  innumerable  little  advantages  I  should  de- 
rive by  givmg  over  to  him  immediately,  all  my  English  gold 
in  exchange  for  French  money.  '^"''^  X^'^i 

The  bold  comprehensive  view  he  took  of  the  whole  #o^ 
Ject  was  quite  unanswerable.    There  was,  however,  upperm 


.A 


■*■• 


14 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


in  my  mind,  an  anta^nist  idea,  as  vigorous,  as  self-interested^ 
and,  if  possible,  as  incontrovertible,  as  that  which  had  just 
given  locomotion  to  his  legs  and  movement  to  his  lips.  In 
answer,  therefore,  to  his  auriferous  and  argientine  proposals,  I 
eagerly,  and  I  fear  rather  greedily,  asked  him  in  about  half 
a  dozen  words,  where  I  could  get  some  breakfast.  With 
great  politeness  he  kindly  pointed  to  the  railway  station  close 
before  us,  and,  with  a  continuation  of  the  smile  which  had 
adorned  his  countenance  from  the  first  moment  he  had  ad- 
dressed me,  he  was  resuming  his  speech  on  the  currency  ques- 
tion, when  away  I  hurried  on  the  scent  on  which  he  had  laid 
me,  and  in  about  half  a  minute  found  myself  in  a  room  which 
evidently  contained  all  the  things  in  this  world  I  most 
wanted. 

As  I  had  slightly  interested  myself  in  England  on  the 
subject  of  railway  management,  I  should,  I  feel  quite  certain, 
if  I  had  had  time,  have  observed  with  considerable  curiosity 
the  interesting  details  of  the  scene  before  me.  The  wolf 
within  me  was,  however,  growling  so  fiercely,  scratching  with 
its  fore  paws  so  violently,  biting  and  gnawing  so  voraciously, 
and  behaving  altogether  so  unmannerly,  that  with  a  faint 
glimmering  of  a  kind  excellent  lady  seated  between  an  assort- 
ment of  bottles  as  elegant  if  possible  as  herself,  I  have  a  dis- 
tinct recollection  of  nothing  out — I  think  I  see  them  now— 
tw^o  very  nice  light  rolls,  a  miserable  insufficiency  of  exceed- 
ingly sweet  butter,  and  a  thick  white  china  cup  brim-full  of 
cial^  au  lait. 

^  I  remember  quite  well,  on  the  sudden  ringing  of  a  bell, 
throwing  on  the  table  two  English  shillings  ;  then,  as  I  was 
hurrying  and  munching  along  a  platform,  depositing  in  my 
coat-pocket  half  a  handful  of  copper  coin  of  odd-looking  sizes; 
then  the  purchase  of  a  ticket  to  Paris ;  then  an  assurance  in 
French  from  several  mouths  all  at  once  that  I  need  not 
think  about  my  baggage,  that  it  had  not  even  been  at  the 
Pouane,  that  it  would  not  be  examined  till  I  got  to  Paris, 
that  I  had  better  take  i  y  seat ;  and  I  had  scarcely  done  so, 

when  a  bell  took  up  th.    lecture,  rang  farewell, — ^bonjour, 

adieu ; — at  last  the  engine  finished  it  by  exclaiming,  by  one 
very  loud  whistle  in  plain  English,  "  Hold  on,  my  lads,  for 
'  wir'te  off ! .  .  .  .  blow  me !" 

«Dhe  day,  which  had  promised  nothing,  turned  out  most 


■^ 


Tm  START. 


15 


beautiful.  The  sunshine  gave  to  every  object  its  most  oheer* 
ful  colours,  and  iof  manv  years  of  my  life  I  do  not  remembet 
to  have  had  more  placid  enjoyment  than  I  experienced  in 
viewing  and  reviewing  the  objects  that  appeared  to  be  suc- 
cessively flying  past  m*e,  and  which  had  a  double  attraction, 
first  from  their  novelty,  and  then  from  the  series  of  recoUeo- 
tions  they  awakened  from  the  grave  of  oblivion,  in  which  fot 
nearly  forty  years  they  had  lain  buried.  ^■. 

After  quitting  Calais,  for  many  leagues  the  country  wai 
not  only  flat,  but  appeared  as  if  in  a  few  hours  it  coi:dd  all 
be  put  under  water ;  and  as  we  flew  along  I  observed,  run- 
ning at  right  angles  to  our  course,  and  at  intervals  seldom 
exceeding  100  yards,  a  series  of  ditches  from  4  to  10  and  12 
feet  broad,  the  water  in  each  of  which  flashed  in  the  sun  as 
We  crossed  it. 

At  most  of  the  towns  and  even  villages  we  passed,  agefl 
ago  I  had  either  been  quartered  or  for  a  night  or  two  had 
been  billeted.  Some  I  had  entirely  forgotten,  others  I  re- 
membered more  or  less  vividly.  All  of  a  sudden  the  innu- 
merable windmills  around  Lille, — ^which  on  horseback  I  had 
often  in  vain  endeavoured  to  count  And  which  I  had  never 
since  thought  of — appeared  before  me  grinding,  revolving, 
and  competing  one  against  another,  just  as  they  used  to  do, 
and  so  they  vanished.  Next  came  flitting  by  the  fortifica- 
tions of  Douay  I  had  so  often  inspected.  From  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Pas  de  Calais  to  Paris,  excepting  a  few  treed 
that  appeared  to  encircle  every  town  and  village,  the  whole 
country  is  totally  unenclosed,  exactly  as  it  was  when  I  used 
to  hunt  and  course  over  it  without  a  single  impediment  for  a 
horse  even  to  look  at,  excepting  now  and  then  a  few  hollow 
roads,  which  I  now  beheld  again  meandering  through  the  in- 
terminable landscape  just  as  they  used  to  do. 

On  the  surface  of  the  republic  not  an  animal  of  any  sort 
was  to  be  seen  at  liberty.  In  the  vicinity  even  of  every  cow 
that  was  grazing  there  was,  if  one  would  but  take  the  trouble 
to  look  for  it,  somewhere  or  other  to  be  discovered  a  dark- 
coloured  lump  on  the  ground — the  little  girl,  woman,  or  boy 
that  was  not  only  guarding  it,  but  sometimes  tethered  to  it. 
On  land  on  which  there  seemed  nothing  to  eat,  sheep,  as  in 
old  times,  were  browsing  close  to  rich  crops  of  clover,  &o., 
whose  only  boundary  was  a  temporary  fence  composed  of  twQ: 


•:•?-* 


H*  A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 

or  tl^ee  lean  dogs  that  kept  running  backwards  and  forwards 
a^  right  angles  to  each  other.  Herds  of  half-starved  pigs 
w«re  guarded  in  the  same  way.  Indeed  the  only  animal  that 
had  not  at  least  one  human  or  canine  attendant  was  a  goat^ 
occasionally  to  be  seen  by  itself — tethered. 
.  As  we  proceeded,  I  was  surprised  to  observe  into  what  a 
series  of  very  small  fields  the  ocean  of  country  through 
which  the  train  was  flying  had,  since  I  last  beheld  it,  by  the 
(^ration  of  the  late  laws  of  France  against  primogeniture, 
bleen  subdivided.  It  appeared  as  if  I  was  travelling  through 
Liiliput,  or  through  a  region  of  charitable  allotments  for 
children ;  and  when  I  considered  that  the  legal  security  of 
these  little  properties  has  diminished  with  their  dimensions, 
\  could  not  help  feeling  that,  if  poor  Goldsmith  had  been  in 
the  train,  he  would  have  admitted  the  fallacy  of  those  beauti- 
flU  lines — 


"  HI  &re8  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  acoumulates  and  men  decay." 


S- 


Exoejpting  occasionally  a  slated  high-roofed  chateau,  in 
bad  repair,  and  now  and  then  a  picturesque  cemetery,  the 
^hole  population  appeared  to  present  one  uniform  character. 
jSverybody— -men,  women,  and  children,  whether  riding,  walk- 
ing) ploughing,  harrowing,  digging,  washing,  or  doing  nothing 
-!-were  all  dressed  in  blue ;  and  yet  this  single  colour,  repre- 
senting human  nature,  was  everywhere  contrasted  With  bright 
yellow  rape  in  blossom,  beautiful  greens  of  various  shades, 
pAtches  of  glittering  water,  and  here  and  there  diminutive 
ripctangular  spaces  of  brown  fallow  land.  It  was  a  peaceful 
placid  scene ;  nevertheless  I  could  not  help  every  now  and 
then  involuntarily  recollecting  the  fair  surface  of  France  a 
battlefield,  leaving  around,  before,  behind  it,  and  especially 
op  both  sides  of  the  great  pav^s,  broad  furrows  of  desolation 
and  of  trampled  crops,  such  as  had  marked  the  retreat  of  the 
French,  and  the  advance  of  the  allied  army,  from  Waterloo 
to  Paris. 

After  flying  along  for  about  200  miles  through  a  uniform 
but  highly  interesting  picture,  there  began  to  appear  in  the 
fiplds,  like  brilliant  flowers,  women,  young  and  old,  dressed  in 
pink  or  crimson  bodices.  They  were  weeding,  and  even 
d^ing ;  in  fact,  they  wero  at  what  might  truly  be  called 


1 


THE  START.  'Ml 

liar4  labor.     The  train,  however,  as  it  passed,  seemed  hea.^ 
noently  to  emancipate  them ;   and  thus  for  many  seconds, 
with  scorched  sunburnt  faces,  and  with  the  implements  of 
husbandry  in  their  hands,  they  stood,  for  as  long  as  we  could 
see  them,  gazing  at  it,  in  various  attitudes  of  repose. 

At  about  ten  leagues  from  Paris  we  rapidly  passed  the 
remains  of  a  railway-station  that  had  been  burnt  in  the  revo- 
lution of  1 848 ;  and  ag&in,  in  about  four  leagues  more,  the' 
bla^  charred  ruins  of  the  station  at  Pontofse.  That  the 
conflagration  had  not  attained  its  obje^^t,  namely,  liberty, 
equality,  fraternity,  was  strikingly  illustrated  to  my  mind, 
by  the  appearance,  in  the  middle  of  a  field,  of  a  woman  work- 
ing hard  with  a  pickaxe  !        ^  ^ 

Throughout  the  region  of  little  fields  I  had  traversed,  it 
was,  however,  but  too  evident  that  equality  had  very  nearly 
been  attained ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  everybody  had  suc- 
ceeded in  preventing  any  one  from  possessing  much  more 
than  was  necessary  for  bare  existence,  thereby  excluding 
those  fine  reaping-machines,  ploughing-machines,  and  other 
economical  mechanical  powers  which  Science  is  gradually 
introducing,  and  which  our  Socialists,  Red-Bepublicans,  and 
ultra-levellers  would  do  well  to  recollect  can  only  be  applied 
to  farms  covering  a  great  breadth  of  land,  and  worked  by* 
considerable  capital ;  and  I  was  moreover  reflecting  on  the 
intellectual  poverty  of  such  a  state  of  rural  existence,  and, 
morally  speaking,  how  true  was  the  observation  that  "  Paris 
is  France,"  when  a  young  man  with  mustachios,  who  had  en- 
tered the  carriage  at  the  last  station,  politely  offered  me  "  Le 
National"  newspaper  of  that  morning.  The  important  sub- 
ject before  my  mind,  and  the  real  scene  before  my  eyes,  were 
so  much  more  interesting  than  any  thing  I  could  read  in 
print,  that  I  would  willingly  have  declined  his  offer.  I,  how- 
ever, did  not  like  to  do  so,  and  accordingly,  still  ruminating 
on  the  picture  I  had  witnessed,  of  an  agricultural  population 
living  from  hand  so  mouth,  with  probably  no  better  instructor 
than  the  village  cur6, 1  opened  the  newspaper,  and  read  aa 
follows : — 


Translation. — "The  vacation  (Easter  holidays)  of  the  National  Aa> 
sembly  terminates  to-day.  A  great  number  of  the  representatives  of  thft 
jyiajdnty  haVe  profited  by  the  eonjg4  which  has  juSt  expired  to  visit  their 


18 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


departmontfl,  where  they  hare  been  oble  to  consult  th«  spirit  (Ttsprt^, 
aiid  thb  desire  of  the  population." 

The  newspaper,  of  coarse,  proceeded  to  state  that  "  the 
desire  of  the  population"  was  "  in  favor  of  universal  suf- 
frage, and  the  non-eligibility  of  the  President." 

With  the  newspaper  in  my  hand,  and  with  my  hand  rest- 
ing on  my  knee,  I  was  calmly  reflecting  on  what  I  had  just 
rjead,  when  a  slight  movement  among  my  fellow  travellers, 
who  all  at  onco  began  to  take  down  their  hats  from  the  roof, 
and  their  sticks  and  umbrellas  from  a  neat  little  dormitory  in 
which  they  had  been  consigned,  announced  to  me  we  were 
near  our  terminus ;  and  accordingly,  shaking  off  my  reverie, 
I  had  scarcely  followed  their  example  when  the  speed  of  the 
train  began  evidently  to  relax,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  passing 
dose  to  the  Barriere  St.  Denis,  we  went  slower,  slower, 
slower  still,  and  the  delightful  little  paragraph  of  my  journey 
liad  scarcely  ended — as  all  paragraphs  ought  to  do — ^by  a  full 
stop,  when  the  noise  of  opening  doors  and  of  feet  descending^ 
Kind  then  hurriedly  trampling  along  a  wooden  platform,  joy- 
fully informed  me  that  although  the  sun,  which  had  risen 
while  I  was  fast  asleep  in  a  fourpost  bed  in  Dover,  was  still 
three  or  four  hours  high  above  the  western  horizon,  I  was 
safe  and  sound  in  Paris ! 

The  duty  that  majestically  arose  rather  than  rushed  up 
permost  in  my  mind  was  to  obtain  my  portmanteau ;  how  •' 
^ver,  trusting — as  in  such  cases  I  always  like  to  do— im 
plicitly  to  its  honour,  I  felt  confident  it  would  find  Tne  out,  and 
accordingly,  banishing  it  entirely  from  my  thoughts,  and  sub- 
mitting myself  to  an  apparently  very  well  arranged  little 
system  of  martial  law,  I  with  great  pleasure  marched  here, — 
halted  there, — turned  to  my  left, — ^marched, — ^until  halting 
again  I  found  myself  deployed  into  line  with  my  fellow  tra- 
vellers, standing  before  a  long  table  on  which,  sure  enough,  I 
beheld  the  pieces  of  red  string  I  had  tied  round  both  handles 
of  my  property  for  the  purpose  of  readily  recognizing  it. 

On  the  production  of  my  "  billet  de  bagage,"  and  of  my 
key,  it  was,  pro  form^,  opened,  re-locked,  and  finally  carried 
by  a  porter  into  a  square  full  of  omnibuses  and  carriages  of 
all  descriptions.  To  what  part  of  Paris  it  was  to  go,  it  of 
course  did  not  know,  nor  did  I ;  and  as  I  bashfully  felt  rather 
liliwillin^  to  diBclose  this  fact,  I  very,  readily  nodded 


V  mS  STAKT.  IHf 

to  the  oonduoteur  of  a  neat  looking  omnibus  on  whioh  wag 
inscribed  ''  H6tel  de  Meurice." 

"  I  know  we  shall  be  well  o£f  there,"  said  I,  partly  to  my- 
self and  partly  to  my  portmanteau,  "  and  at  our  leisure  we  can 
at  any  moment  better  ourselves  if  we  should  desire  to  do  so." 
It  appeared  that  a  great  many  other  people,  and  a  great  many 
other  portmanteaus,  and  other  articles  of  baggage,  thought  ex- 
actly as  we  did,  for  I  and  my  property  had  scarcely  taken  our 
respective  places  inside  and  out,  when  various  lumping  sounds 
on  the  roof,  and  various  ascending  feet  on  the  steps,  continued 
to  follow  each  other  in  quick  succession,  until  in  a  few  minutes 
the  interior,  and  I  believe  exterior,  of  the  carriage  were  stuff- 
ed as  full  as  ever  they  could  hold,  and  then  away  we  all 
rolled  and  rumbled. 

Between  the  hats,  bonnets,  and  shoulders  of  the  row  of 
people  who  sat  before  me  in  mute  silence,  I  occasionally 
caught  a  glimpse,  sometimes  of  something  yellow, — then  of 
something  green, — then  of  a  pane  of  glass  or  two,— then  of  a 
portion  of  a  shop  window, — then  of  part  of  the  head  of  a  gen- 
tleman on  horseback  ;  but  when,  driving  under  an  archway, 
we  entered  the  little  yard  of  the  hdtel  de  Meurice,  with  be- 
coming modesty  I  frankly  acknowledged  to  myself,  that  al- 
though in  a  handsome  carriage  I  had  just  driven  through  the 
noblest,  the  finest,  the  most  magnificent,  and,  in  ancient  and 
modern  history,  the  most  celebrated  streets,  boulevards,  and 
"  places"  of  Paris,  I  was  unable  to  impart,  either  verbally  or 
in  writing,  much  information  on  the  subject.. 

"  With  the  assistance  of  a  little  time  and  reflection  I  hope 
to  do  better !"  and  suiting  my  action  to  the  words  of  my 
thoughts,  I  was  just  going,  as  I  got  out  of  the  'bus,  to  look 
once  around  me  to  observe  what  the  yard  might  contain, 
when  I  found  myself  surrounded  and  addressed  by  two  or 
three  waiters,  who,  with  some  fine  bows,  informed  me,  in 
French,  that  the  table  d'hdte  had  just  been  served,  and  that 
if  I  would  like  to  dine  there  I  could  at  once  take  my  place. 

"  Oh,  Do  !"  whispered  a  well-known  voice  within  me,  and 
accordingly,  influenced  by  it,  following  one  of  the  "  gardens" 
into  a  large,  long,  handsome  room,  I  glided  behind  the  backs, 
chairs,  and  bent  heads  of  one  row  of  people,  and  before  the 
faces,  glasses,  tumblers^  lM>ttles  of  wine,  knives,  forks,  and 
deep  plates  of  another  row  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  each  of 


r. 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICX6 


whom  was  more  or  less  intently  occupied  in  sipping  or  8up« 
ping  out  of  a  silver  spoon — soup.  At  the  further  end  of  this 
hospital  of  patients,  all  obediently  taking  the  same  medicine, 
were  a  few  vacant  chairs,  which,  almost  before  I  could  %\i 
down,  were  filled  by  my  fellow  travellers. 

As  soon  as  the  well-arranged  feast  was  over,  several  per- 
sons arose  from  their  chairs,  and,  joyfully  following  their  ex- 
ample, I  recovered  possession  of  my  hat  and  stick,  and  then, 
escaping  into  the  yard,  and  walking  out  of  the  Porteoochdre,  I 
became  in  one  moment  what,  during  almost  the  whole  of  the 
repast,  I  had  been  yearning  to  be — an  atom  of  the  gay, 
thoughtless,  happy  crowd  that  in  every  direction  were  swarm- 
ing along  the  streets  of  Paris. 

It  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  correct  and  proper  that,  re- 
gardless of  the  vain  occupations  of  man,  or  of  the  ephemeral 
fashions  of  the  day,  I  should  have  commenced  my  observation 
of  the  city  of  Paris  by  a  calm,  philosophical  comparison  be- 
,  tween  its  architectural  formation  siz-ana-tbirty  years  ago,  and 
its  present  structure.  I  had  fully  intended  to  do  so  ;  but  my 
^  eyes  would  not  allow  my  mind  to  reflect  for  a  moment  on  any 
subject,  and  accordingly  I  had  hardly  proceeded  ten  yards  be- 
fore, I  am  ashamed  to  acknowledge,  I  found  myself  gaping  in- 
to a  shop-window  at  a  large  doll,  with  a  white  handkerchief  in 
her  hand,  and  on  her  lap,  a  paper,  on  which  was  written, — 

.  ■  "Ma  tetb  est  en  forcblaine: 

J'aI  DES  S(EVBS  DE  TOUTES  QEANDEURS."*  r       1    vV* 

Within,  seated  at  a  table,  were  three  young  women,  very 
well  dressed,  never  looking  towards  the  street,  but  talking  to 
each  other,  and  sewing  for  their  very  lives.  Beside  me  stood 
gaping,  like  myself,  an  old  woman  holding  in  her  hand  a  roll 
nearly  three  feet  long,  and  a  soldier  with  a  parcel  in  the  folded 
sleeve  of  his  one-armed  uniform  coat. 

On  leaving  the  window,  my  attention  was  attracted  by 
light  green,  dark  green,  light  yellow,  dark  yellow,  blue,  and 
parti-coloured  omnibuses,  driven  by  coachmen  sometimes  in 
bright  yellow,  sometimes  in  pea-green  hats,  and  in  clothes  of 
such  brilliant  colours  that  the  equipages,  as  they  successively 


*  My  head  is  made  of  china : 
I  have  isisten)  of  all  sizes, 


\ 


w 


■;i.. 


THE  START. 


w   > 


21 


passed,  reminded  me  of  the  plumages  of  various  descriptions 
of  gaudy  parrots,  which  in  southern  latitudes  I  had  seen  flying 
from  tree  to  tree.  Then  there  passed  a  paysanne  on  horse- 
back, with  her  little  daughter  behind  her,  both  wearing  hand- 
kerchiefs round  their  heads,  the  miserable  horse  also  carrying 
two  panniers  full  of  sticks  and  other  purchases  he  was  evi- 
dently taking  back  to  the  country;  then  came  rumbling  by, 
driven  by  two  soldiers  in  undress  uniform,  a  rattling,  badly 
painted,  small  low  waggon,  on  which  was  inscribed, — 

"Tbbsor  Pubuo."* 

Then  passed,  very  slowly  I  thought,  a  "  Hansom's  cab,"  im< 
proved  into  a  neat  light  chariot ;  then  approached  a  waggon 
drawn  by  four  horses,  in  light-coloured  harness,  with  scarlet 
tufts  hanging  from  each  side  of  the  brow-band  of  the  bridles, 
also  dotted  fuong  the  crupper,  their  collars,  as  also  the  wooden 
wings  affixed  to  them,  being  covered  with  a  deep  dark-blue 
shaggy  rug.  Close  behind  this  vehicle  I  observed,  on  extra- 
ordinary  high  wheels,  a  one-horse  cart,  marked ''  Roulage," 
with  shafts  25  feet  long !  then  rolled  by,  as  if  from  another 
world,  a  sort  of  devil-may-care  old-fashioned  diligence,  having 
on  its  top,  in  charge  of  a  rude,  undigested,  and  undigestible 
mass  of  baggage,  a  sandy-coloured,  cook-eared  dog,  stamping 
with  its  fore-feet,  and  barking  most  furiously  at  everybody 
and  at  everything  that  moved. 

As  I  was  advancing  with  one  crowd,  and  at  the  same  time 
meeting  another,  all,  like  myself,  sauntering  about  for  amuse- 
ment, I  saw  in  a  shop  a  watchmaker  earnestly  looking  through 
a  magnifying  glass,  stuck  before  his  right  eye,  at  the  glitter- 
ing works  of  a  watch,  on  which  his  black  beard  was  restine 
like  a  brush.  In  another  window  were  several  double  sets  (^ 
pink  gums,  that  by  clockwork,  kept  slowly  opening  and  shut- 
ting. In  each,  teeth,  here  and  there  moving  from  their  sockets, 
went  down  the  throats  of  their  respective  owners,  leaving  ser- 
rated gaps.  In  a  short  time  up  they  slowly  came  again,  re- 
suming their  places  so  accurately  that  it  was  impossible  to  see 
joint  or  crevice  of  any  sort.  To  any  gentleman  or  lady  who 
had  happened  to  lose  a  front  tooth,  the  moral  was  of  course 
self-evident. 

*  Public  treasure.         .?    ;     v ;  «  .        . 


/ . 


*.    >r  ■■  •. 


\  • 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENOU  STICKS. 


Within  a  handsome  shop,  over  which  was  inscribed  "Oafii 
et  Glaces,"  *  I  observed  seated  at  an  exalted  bar — on  which 
appeared  a  large  basin  full  of  lumps  of  ice,  a  quantity  of  lem- 
ons in  silver-mounted  stands,  and  a  double  row  of  bottles  con- 
taining fluids  of  various  colours, — two  young  ladies,  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  were  not  attired  alike.  Both 
were  intently  sewing.  Before  them  were  about  thirty  little 
marble  tables,  round,  square,  and  oblong.  At  one  a  man,  and 
apparently  his  old  wife,  seated  opposite  to  each  other,  were 
playing  together,  at  dominoes,  some  of  which  were  lying  with 
their  speckled  faces  uppermost,  the  rest  on  their  white  edges 
waiting  to  be  played.  Reside  this  happy  couple  sat,  watching 
the  game,  an  old  gentleman  with — for  some  reason  or  other 
— a  toothpick  sticking  out  of  his  mouth,  and,  for  some  other 
very  good  and  glorious  reason,  a  red  ribbon  in  one  of  his  but- 
ton-holes. ' 

In  several  windows  were  advertisements,  addressed  ap- 
parently to  people  of  large  appetites  and  small  fortunes.  For 
instance,  in  one  I  observed — 

"Dejecnes  X  25  sous  par  tSte.     Ok  a  deux  plats  aux  OHon;  unk 

DEMI-BOUTEILLE  DB  YIN,   UN  DESSERT,   ET  FAIN  X  DISORETION.f 

In  others  were  notices  exclusively  addressed  to  the  Bri- 
tish people,  such  as — ^in  one 

*'L'0MBBEIXE8.'*:f 

in  another 

"B0TTE8  C0NFOBTABLES."§ 

A  little  shop  selling  a  few  faded  vegetables  and  seeds, 
had  magnificently  entitled  itself — 

"  Hekbobistbbix."  I 

On  strolling  to  the  Boulevards,  which  appeared  to  be  a 
region  of  beards  black,  white,  brown,  sandy,  foxy,  red,  long, 

*  Coffee  and  ices. 

f  Breakfasts  at  25  sous  a-head.    Two  dishes  at  choice,  half  a  bottle 
of  wine,  a  dessert,  and  as  much  bread  as  is  desired.  , , 

1  Umbrellas. 
I  Comfortable  Boota.  |  An  Herboristery.        .r 


1/ 


THE  START. 


29 


short,  shai^-pointed,  round, — in  short,  it  was  evident  that  the 
beards  of  no  two  male  members  of  the  republic  had  been 
"  born  alike," — I  came  to  a  large  "  Caf£,"  before  which  were 
seated  on  chairs,  twisted  into  various  groups,  a  mass  of  men  - 
enjoying  the  inestimable  luxury  of  placidly  puffing  away  half 
an  hour  or  so  of  their  existence.  Some  were  reading,  ox. 
rather — ^half  mesmerised — were  pretending  to  read  a  news< 
paper,  which,  in  a  different  attitude,  each  held  before  his 
eyes  or  prostrate  on  his  knees,  by  a  mahoganv  stick,  in  which 
the  intelligence,  &c.,  was  securely  affixed.  Among  all  these 
indolent-looking  men  I  observed  very  busily  worming  her  way, 
a  quietly-dressed,  plump,  pretty,  modest-looking  girl  of  about 
seventeen,  supporting  in  her  left  arm  a  basketful  of  small 
bouquets,  very  tastefully  arranged.  Without  the  smallest 
attempt  to  extol  her  goods,  and  evidently  without  the  slightest 
desire  either  to  speak  to  or  to  be  spoken  to  by  any  of  the 
occupiers  of  the  chairs,  she  quietly  as  she  passed  along  put 
into  the  button-hole  of  the  coat  or  waistcoat  of  each,  a  bloom- 
ing flower,  which,  without  application  for  payment,  she  left  in 
the  breast  of  man  to  vegetate  and  grow  into  a  penny, — two 
pence, — three  pence,  or  to  fade  into  nothing  at  all,  as  it  might 
think  proper,  or  rather,  according  to  the  soil  on  which  it  fell 
For  some  time  I  thought  her  speculation  a  complete  failure. 
At  last  an  old  gentleman  slowly  raised  his  hand,  and,  on  her 
approaching  it,  I  perceived  that  from  a  variety  of  fingers  of 
all  ages  there  dropped  into  her  basket  a  copper  harvest. 

After  wandering  homewards  for  some  little  time,  I  read 
oi\  the  corner  of  a  street  into  which  I  entered,  "  Rue  du  29 
Juillet,"*  which  I  was  pleased  to  find  was,  as  I  expected,  close 
to  the  point  from  which  I  had  started,  and  accordingly,  enter- 
ing Meurice's  hotel,  I  ascended  a  staircase, — ^was  conducted 
into  the  room  that  had  been  allotted  for  me, — and  in  a  few 
minutes  dropped  off  to  sleep. 

*  29th  of  July  Street. 


fc-1: 


'm- 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


r-  a  ,.»v 


t  •' 


THE    STBOLL. 

The  next  morning,  after  an  early  breakfast,  and  aftervirards 
writing  a  few  letters,  I  sallied  forth  from  beneath  my  archway, 
to  enjoy  the  harmless  liberty  of  looking  about  me ;  but  although 
the  city  had  not  yet  awakened  either  to  business  or  to  pleasure, 
and  although  from  its  streets  being  comparatively  empty,  I  had 
full  opportunity  for  observation,  and  even  for  contemplation, 
— I  must  own  that,  had  I  not  known  I  was  in  Paris,  I  should 
not  have  been  informed  of  the  fact  by  my  memory.     For  the 

Picture  had  not  only,  by  the  chemical  process  of  Time,  beea 
issolved,  but,  excepting  the  old  sky^ — ^whioh  the  artist  pro- 
bably felt  he  could  not  very  much  improve, — he  had  re-painted 
and  re-covered  the  whole  of  the  canvas  with  new  objects. 
For  instance,  with  infinite  labour,  he  had  everywhere  rubbed 
out  that  picturesque  line  of  large,  frail,  creaky,  cranky,  crazy- 
looking  lanterns,  which — suspended  over  the  middle  of  every 
street,  were  lowered  to  be  lighted — used  always  to  be  seen 
dangling  over  the  roofs  of  the  carriages  that  rolled  beneath 
them ;  and  in  lieu  thereof  had  substituted  a  double  side  series 
of  beautiful  gas  lamps.  Again,  with  great  labour,  he  had  not 
only  scratched  up  and  out  that  rude  ill-constructed  pavement 
of  round  stones  for  carriages,  horses,  and  foot-passengers, 
which,  inclining  from  the  houses  on  each  side,  used — in  the 
middle  even  of  the  gayest  thoroughfares — to  form  a  dirty 
gutter,  which,  in  heavy  rain,  looked  like  a  little  trout  stream ; 
but  instead  of  this  concave  surface  he  had  substituted  a  beau* 
tiful  convex  road,  bounded  on  each  side  by  a  white,  clean 
foot-pavement.  The  frontage  of  the  shops  he  had  also  com- 
pletely altered  ;  but  the  greatest  liberty  he  had  taken — and 
when  a  young  enthusiastic  artist  has  a  brush  in  his  hand, 
there  is  scarcely  any  liberty  that  he  will  not  take — ^was,  that 
he  had  actually  filled  up  the  foreground  of  his  fine  new 
picture  of  Paris,  by  crowdmg  the  streets  with  French  people  I 
whereas,  all  the  time  /saw  the  city,  I  can  faithfully  declare 
that  the  only  human  beings  one  ever  looked  at  were  Eussians, 
Prussians,  Austrians,  Hanoverians,  Belgians,  British,  and 


i 


TJIS  STROLL, 


95 


wild-looking  CoMaoks,  carrying,  on  starved  little  horses,  lanoen 
80  disproportionately  long  that  thuy  looked  as  if  they  had 
Cjuixotically  come  from  an  immense  distance,  and  from  an 
ULoivilised  region,  to  fight  against  the  stars  in  the  firmament 
of  heaven ;  in  short,  a  nation  of  brave  men,  who,  singlo- 
handed,  had  conquered  the  armies  of  almost  every  nation  in 
Europe,  were,  from  the  insatiable  ambition  of  one  man,  over* 
whelmed  by  the  just  and  well-arranged  union  of  half^t-doson 
powerful  nations,  united  toffether  to  wage  wa,r,  not  against 
France,  but  against  the  unrelenting  enemy  of  niankind  i 

I  was  enjoying  this  mixture  of  feelinffs,  and,  without  hav- 
ing reflected  whore  I  would  go^  or  what  1  would  do  with  my- 
self, I  was  looking  at  everythmg  at  once,  and  esneoially  tX 
the  variety  of  moving  objects  around  me,  when  tner«  drove 
by  a  gaudy  omnibus,  on  the  back  of  which,  among  severitl 
other  names,  I  observed  inscribed  the  word  "Passt."  It 
was  the  little  village  about  a  league  off  at  whieh  I  had  last 
been  quartered ;  and  although  I  had  sinos  scarcely  ever 
thought  of  it,  in  one  second  I  recollected  the  happy  group 
among  which  I  had  lived  an  '^  enfant  de  famille."  "  The  good 
old  people  will  long  ago  have  vanished ;  the  yeung  ones  will 
probably  be  grandmothers;  however  (waving  my  stick),  I 
will,  at  all  events,  once  again  beat  up  their  quarters." 

In  compliance  with  my  signal,  the  'bus  stopped ;  and  as 
it  happened  to  be  one  of  the  few  that  carry  passengers  out- 
side, in  a  few  seconds  I  found  myself  seated  by  the  coach- 
man. ''  C'est  la  maison  du  President,"*  said  he  to  me,  point- 
ing with  his  whip  to  the  trees  of  the  Elys6e  ;  tiius  evidently 
showing  that  before  I  had  opened  my  mouth  he  was  aware 
I  was  a  raw  stranger.  As  we  were  driving  up  the  avenue  of 
the  Champs  Elys^es  I  had  an  opportunity — in  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  approaching  f£te  of  the  republic— -of  witnessing 
the  latest  improved  method  of  making  great  men.  On  the 
summit  of  each  of  a  series  of  lofty  plaster  pedestals,  of  elegant 
form,  distant  about  80  yards  from  each  other,  there  had  been 
inserted  a  sort  of  telegraphic  signal,  composed  sometimes  of  a 
pingle  beam,  placed  vertically,  sometimes  of  a  huge  represen- 
tation of  the  letter  A,  terminating  in  the  letter  I,  sometimes 
of  the  letter  X,  sometimes  of  the  letter  Y,  sometimes  of  the 


*  That  is  the  house  of  the  Presidenti  ^  i  ^ 


% 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKA 


letter  V.  "  These  pieces  of  stout  timber  were  to  form  the 
legs,  backbones,  and  occasionally  extended  arms  of  heroes  or 
of  statesmen ;  and  as  the  artists  had  not  all  commenced  to- 
gether, and  as  some  had  evidently  more  assistance  than 
others,  the  statues  in  diflFerent  stages  of  progression,  beauti- 
fully explained  the  secrets  of  their  art.  On  one  pedestal, 
excepting  the  wooden  symbols  I  have  described,  appeared 
nothing  but  a  pair  of  milk-white  military  jack-boots,,  about 
six  inches  higher  than  the  top  of  the  head  of  the  workman 
who  was  making  them.  On  the  grbuild  lay  the  gigantic  head 
with  mustachios,  looking  at  his  boots;  in  short,  calmly 
watching  all  that  was  doing.  On  the  summit  of  the  wooden 
hieroglyphic  on  another  pedestal  I  observed  an  orator's  head, 
beneath  which  the  artist  was  very  cleverly  arranging  a  quan- 
tity of  straw  to  bolster  out  some  ribs  and  a  large  stomach 
that  lay  on  the  earth  beneath.  On  another -pedestal  the 
powerful  head,  arms,  breast,  covered  with  well-earned  medals, 
crosses,  &c.,  and  back  of  a  mar6chal  of  France,  suddenly 
'  ended  in  a  sort  of  kilt  of  rushes,  which  the  artist,  with  the 
assistance  of  ropes,  cord,  packthread,  and  large  bags  of  white 
plaster,  which  hardened  almost  as  fast  as  it  was  applied,  was 
modelling  with  great  success  into  the  upper  portion  of  a  pair 
of  magnificent  pantaloons. 

On  all  the  statues,  the  drapery  was  very  ingeniously  and 
successfully  created  by  swaddling  the  lofty  statues  in  old  pli- 
able canvas,  no  sooner  bent  and  tastefully  adjusted  into  ele- 
gant folds,  than  it  was  saturated  with  liquid  cement,  which 
'  almost  immediately  gave  not  only  solidity  to  the  mass,  but 
the  appearance  of  having  been  sculptured  out  of  stone.        '*' 

Although  in  the  fabrication  of  these  various  statues  it 
was  occasionally  almost  impossible  to  help  smiling  at  the 
contrast  between  the  work  completed  and  in  embryo,  yet  it 
may  truly  be  said  that  the  workmanship  exceeded  the  mate- 
rials. The  attitudes  of  the  several  statues,  as  we  passed 
them,  appeared  not  only  to  be  admirably  devised,  but  to  be 
executed  with  that  fine  taste  and  real  talent  which  distin- 
guish the  French  people,  and  which  it  is  pleasing  to  observe 
all  classes  of  their  community  are  competent  to  appreciate. 
Indeed  it  was  with  gratification,  astonishment,  and  profit, 
I  often  afterwards  for  a  few  moments  listened  to  the  criti- 
cisms and  observations  of  men  in  blouses,  who,  although  in 


.•»^v 


THE  STROLL. 


m 


humble  life,  miglit,  from  their  remarks  have  passed  for  bro- 
ther artists  of  him  who,  unaware  even  of  their  presence,  was 
intently  modelling  over  their  uplifted  faces. 

After  receiving  from  my  intelligent  companion  a  few 
words  of  voluntary  information  on  almost  everything  and 
everybody  we  passed,  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  ani- 
mals that  were  drawing  us.  They  were  a  pair  of  small,  pow- 
erful, short-legged,  white  entire  horses,  with  thick  crests  and 
very  small  heads,  somewhat  resembling  that  of  an  Arab. 
They  were  as  sleek  in  the  coat,  and  as  fleshy  as  moles  ;  and 
although  according  to  English  notions  they  were  altogether 
disproportioned  to  the  long  lofty  carriage  they  were  drawing 
up  the  inclined  plain  of  the  Champs  Elysees,  it  appeared  to 
follow  them  from  goodwill  almost  of  its  own  accord.  In 
their  harness  they  had  plenty  of  room  to  work ;  pould  ap- 
proach or  recede  sideways  from  the  pole,  as  they  felt  dispos- 
ed ;  and  although,  when  necessary,  th§y  were  guided  with 
great  precision,  the  reins,  generally  speaking,  were  dangling 
on  their  backs.  Now  and  then,  as  we  were  jogging  along,  on 
the  approach  of  another  omnibus,  carriage  or  cart,  and  occa- 
sionally for  no  apparent  cause  whatever,  sometimes  one  and 
sometimes  both  of  the  little  greys,  would  cock  their  ears, 
give  a  violent  neigh,  and  in  the  same  space  of  ground  take 
about  twice  as  many  steps  as  before.  Indeed,  instead  of  be- 
ing, as  might  be  expected,  tired  to  death  of  the  Champs  Ely- 
sees,  they  appeared  as  much  pleased  with  everything  that 
passed  as  I  was.  The  coachman  told  me  these  horses  be- 
longed to  a  company,  and  that  one  of  their  principal  stables 
was  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  Barriere  de  Neuilly  we 
were  then  passing.  He  advised  me  to  go  and  look  at  them  ; 
and  accordingly,  with  many  thanks  bidding  him  adieu,  I  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  along  the  boulevard  on  my  left,  for  about  a 
hundred  yards,  to  a  gate,  at  which  I  found  a  oonoicrge  in  a 
white  cap,  of  whom  I  inquired,  as  I  had  been  directed  by  the 
coachman,  for  "  le  piqueur."* 

"  Entrez,  monsieur  !"  she  replied,  "  il  est  la  en  bas."t      * 
Proceeding  into  a  large  barrack-square,  I  was  looking  at 
innumerable  sets  of  harness  hanging  beneath  a  long  shed  out. 


.'«;>    .£!•. 


H.^XA 


Tlie  foreman.  > 

f  Walk  in,  Sir !  he  is  there  below. 


Vi  Hliii  w  «    —  *i 


28 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


side  a  range  of  stables,  when  I  was  accosted  by  a  wiell-dressed 
gentleman,  with  large  mustaohios,  who  asked  me  very  civilly 
what  was  my  business  % 

I  at  once  told  him  my  story,  such  as  it  was ;  to  which  he 
replied  that  no  one  could  visit  the  establishment  without  an  - 
order,  which,  he  added  with  a  slight  bow,  *'  No  doubt  Monsieur 
would  instantly  obtain  ;  and  to  assist  me  in  doing  so,  he  very 
kindly  wrote  in  my  memorandum  book,  ''  M.  Moreau,  Ghas- 
tone,  Adm!nistrateur-G6n6ral  de  TEntreprise  des  Omnibus, 
Avenue  des  Champs  Blys6es,  68,  de  midi  a  quatre  heures."* 

As  it  was  only  seven  o'clock,  and  as  it  appeared  M.  Mo- 
reau was  to  be  invisible  till  twelve,  I  strolled  to  the  grand 
Arc  de  Triomphe,  ascended  some  steps,  through  a  door,  and 
then,  proceeding  upwards,  walked  round  and  round  for  a  con- 
siderable time.  When  nearly  at  the  top  I  entered  a  feebly- 
lighted,  low-looking  prison,  with  a  groined  roof  supported 
by  six  arches,  four  of  which  were  closed  by  strong  iron  bars. 

At  each  of  the  two  ends  of  this  dismal  chamber  there  ap- 
peared a  stout  barrier  of  iron  railings,  and  I  was  fancying 
that  by  some  mistake  I  had  got  into  a  sort  of  cul-de-sac,  when 
beneath  the  sixth  arch  I  perceived  a  passage,  and  then,  as- 
cending for  some  time  in  total  darkness,  I  at  last  arrived  in 
the  fresh,  warm,  open  air,  upon  an  exalted  platform  1 50  feet 
in  length  by  23  in  breadth,  from  which  there  suddenly  flashed 
upon  my  eyes,  or  rather  upon  my  mind,  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent views  I  have  ever  beheld,  the  characteristic  of  which 
was  that,  like  that  from  the  top  of  the  Calton  Hill,  at  Edin- 
burgh, it  afforded  a  panorama  of  scenery  of  the  most  opposite 
description. 

In  front  lay  before  me,  towards  the  east,  the  broad,  straight, 
macadamized  road,  boulevard,  or,  as  it  is  more  properly  termed, 
"  avenue,"  up  which  I  had  just  been  driven,  terminating  in  the 
green  trees  of  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries.  On  each  side  of 
this  great  road  there  appeared  expressly  for  foot  passengers,  a 
beautiful  shaded  space,  in  the  middle  of  which  was  an  asphalte 
path,  broad  enough  for  about  six  persons  to  walk  abreast.  The 
foot-roads  were  dotted  with  pedestrians,  the  carriage-road  spot- 
ted with  equestrians,  military  waggons,  carts,  public  as  well  as 

*  General-Superintendant  of  the  Company  of  Omnibuses,  No.  68, 
Avenue  of  the  Champa  Elysdee.    From  12  to  4  o'clock. 


THE  STROLL. 


29 


private  vehicles,  and  'buses,  increasing  in  size  until  they  passed 
beneath  like  toys  before  the  eyes. 

This  inagnificent  arterial  thoroughfare,  nearly  five  times 
the  TV idth  of  St.  James's-street  in  London,  nearly  bisects  Paris, 
the  whole  of  which,  as  seen  at  a  single  glance,  apponred  com- 
posed of  lofty  houses  of  different  shades  of  white  (unlike  the 
heads  of  human  beings,  the  youngest  are  the  whitest),  light 
blue  roofs  of  zino  or  slate,  and  Venetian  windows,  bearing  si- 
lent  testimony  to  the  heat  of  the  climate  in  summer.  But 
what  attracted  my  attention  more  than  the  sight  of  all  the  ob- 
jects in  detail  before  me  was  the  striking  absence  of  what  in 
England  is  invariably  the  characteristic  of  every  large  city  or 
congregation  of  men — namely,  smoke.  Here  and  there  a  dark 
stream,  slowly  arising  from  the  lofty  minaret  of  a  steam-engine, 
reminded  me  of  the  existence  of  commercial  life,  but  with 
these  few  exceptions  the  beautiful  clear  city  before  me  ap- 

feared  to  be  either  asleep  or  dead.  During  the  few  minutes 
gazed  upon  the  scene,  I  several  times  looked  attentively 
at  the  large  stacks  of  chimneys  which  rose  out  of  the  blue 
roofs,  but  with  a  few  exceptions  not  a  vestige  of  smoke  was 
to  be  seen. 

Of  the  two  portions  into  which  Paris  by  the  triple  road 
described  is  divided,  that  on  the  left — the  largest — was  bound- 
ed by  the  Hill  of  Montmartre,  upor  which,  with  great  plea- 
sure, I  observed'  at  work,  apparently  the  very  same  four  wind- 
mills which  were  always  so  busily  grinding  away  when  I  last 
resided  in  their  vicinity,  ^hey  had  ground  wheat  for  Napo- 
leon, for  the  Duke  of  Welliogton,  for  the  allied  Sovereigns^ of 
Europe,  for  Louis  XVIII.,  for  Charles  X.,  for  Louis-Philippe, 
for  the  leaders  of  the  Red  Republicans,  and  now  they  were 
grinding  away  just  as  merrily  as  ever  for  Prince  Louis  Napo- 
leon. In  fact,  whichever  way  the  wind  blew,  they  patriotically 
worked  for  the  public  good.  Round  the  foot  of  Montmartre 
there  had  lately  arisen  a  young  city  of  new  white  houses. 

In  the  half  of  Paris  on  the  right  of  the  great  triple  road, 
there  appeared  resting  against  the  clear  blue  sky  the  magnifi- 
cent domes  of  the  Invalides,  Pantheon,  Val  de  Grace,  and  the 
Observatory.  Beneath  on  each  side  I  looked  down  upon  a 
mixture  of  new  buildings  and  of  green  trees  which,  in  the  ad- 
vent of  May,  had  just  joyously  burst  into  full  leaf. 

In  contemplating  the  beauty  of  Paris  from  the  summit  of 


dm 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENVU  STICKS. 


the  Arc  de  I'Etoile,  it  is  impossible  to  refrain  from  remarking  s 
that,  vrith  the  exception  of  the  three  domes  I  have  mentioned,  | 
no  one  of  which  is  for  the  purpose  of  worship,  scarcely  a 
churoh-looking  building  is  to  be  seen.  ^ 

The  view  from  the  opposite  or  west  side  of  the  summit  of  ^ 
the  aro  forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  picture  of  a  city  as  just  -• 
described.  Witn  the  exception  of  the  Eort-du-Mont  Valerien,  [ 
on  an  eminence  580  yards  off,  the  horizon  is  composed  of  hills  f 
as  blue,  bleak,  and  houseless  as  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  ^ 
which  indeed  they  faintly  resemble.  Between  the  fort  and  the  ^ 
Arc  lies  prostrate  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  I  had  left  it  hacked  : 
to  death  by  the  sabres  and  h&^^chets  of  the  troops  with  whom  ^ 
I  had  been  bivouacked  in  it.  But  these  unfriendly  scars,, 
were,  I  rejoiced  to  see,  all  obliterated.  A  new  generation  of 
trees  as  of  men  had  succeeded,  and  the  large  extensive  dark-  ^ 
green  but  rather  cheerless-looking  mass  was  enlivened  only  by  ► 
tht  old  broad  pave,  running — as  it  always  has  run — as  straight , 
as  a  sergeant's  halbert  to  Neuilly,  and  at  an  angle  to  the  left^; 
by  an  equally  straight  broad  macadamized  road — ^"  the  Avenue  , 
de  St.  Cloud."  I 

From  the  south  side  of  the  platform  I  looked  down  upon, 
OT  rather  into,  the  uncovered,  gay,  but  tawdry  Hippodrome, 
the  exercises,  amusements,  and  spectators  of  which  can  be  al-^ 
most  as  clearly  seen  as  by  a  hawk  hovering  over  them.  Be-  ,' 
yond  it  appeared  a  mixture  of  houses,  including  Passy,  com  , 
posed  of  about  two-thirds  white  buildings,  and  one-third  greeu, 
trees.  ^ 

rprom  the  foot  of  the  north  side  of  the  Aro  runs  a  short 
pav6  of  about  200  yards,  bounded  on  each  side  by  houses  and 
trees,  which,  by  a  sort  of  dissolving  process,  change  into  green , 


fields,  across  which  were  to  be  seen  here  and  there  little 


pic- 
and 


turesque  streams  of  the  white  steam  of  the  Versailles 
Northern  Bailways,  bounded  by  blue  distant  hills. 

I  had  changed  from  side  to  side  more  than  once  to  enjoy 
the  magnificent  contrasts  I  have  but  very  feebly  described.  I 
had  returned  to  the  northern  side,  and  was  watching  the  pro- 
gress of  a  tiny  column  of  steam — the  blessed  emblem  of  peace 
to  all  nations,  and  to  none  a  greater  blessing  than  to  France 
and  England,  when  a  human  being — the  only  other  one  in 
creation  besides  myself  on  the  platform,  and  he  had  only  a 
moment  or  two  ago  crawled  up  and  «ut  from  beneath — said  to 


\ 


me,— 


THE  STROUh 


31 


a 


^^' Wonderful  fine  view,  Sir!    Do  you  see  that  houso 
down  there,  with  four  trees  before  it  ?" 

On  answering  in  the  affirmative — indeed  it  TTOuld  have 
been  impossible  for  any  one  to  have  denied  either  the  asser- 
tion or  the  question — ^he  very  good-humouredly  added— 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?" 

I  was  destitute  of  thoughts'  on  the  subject,  and  was  going 
honestly  to  avow  it,  when  he  added — 

"  I  came  here  from  England  last  Tuesday,  to  put  my 
daughter  to  school  there.     What  do  you  say  of  it  ?*' 

I  was  not  in  a  frame  of  mind  all  of  a  sudden  and  at  such 
a  height  above  the  surface  of  the  earth,  to  give  away- for 
nothing  at  all  an  opinion  concerning  a  house  five  stories  high, 
with  six  windows  in  front,  or  about  an  Englishman  educating 
a  young  daughter  in  France ;  so,  glancing  at  the  b€|autiful 
steepleless  city  before  me,  and  then  whispering  to  myself, 
"•  I  would  as  soon  put  a  chicken's  egg  under  a  duck  as  do 
what  you  have  done,"  I  said^ — 

"  It  seems  a  very  substantial  good  house,"  which  appeared 
to  make  him  happy ;  and  as  we  had  both  gained  our  object, 
we  nodded  farewell  and  parted. 

I  was  about  to  bid  adieu  to  the  magnificent  panorama  I 
had  been  enjoying,  and  had  approached  the  head  of  the  pitch- 
dark  staircase,  when  I  heard  beneath  me  the  slow  pacing  of 
feet,— then  a  very  little  puffing, — then  there  gleamed  upwards 
a  feeble  light, — and  at^last  appeared  the  black  hat,  thin  fioce, 
and  lean  figure  of  an  old  gentleman  carrying  a  lantern,  fol- 
lowed by  a  lusty,  very  well-dressed  lady,  equally  stricken  in 
years,  with  an  extremely  red  face,,  and  cheeks  so  healthy  that 
they  appeared  considerably  to  embarrass  her  vision.  Indeed, 
to  speak  plainly,  she  was  so  fat,  and  she  had  so  many  luxu- 
riant curls  of  artificial  hair,  that  she  could  hardly  see  out  of 
her  black  little  shining  eyes.  Leaving  her,  however,  to  m^ke 
such  use  of  them  as  she  might  think  proper,  I  commenced 
noiy  descent,  and,  in  utter  darkness,  passed — -or  rather  stood 
stock-still,  with  my  back  against  the  wall,  while  there  passed 
me — a  party  of  young  people,  whose  loud  merry  laughter 
denoted  that  at  all  events  they  had  outgrown  the  age  at 
which  they  might  have  been  afraid  of  being  in  the  dark.  But 
they  were  quite  right  to  come  "without  lant6rns,  and  I  would 
advise  any  one  who  wishes  to  enjoy  to  the  utmost  the  itplon- 


32 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


did  oonp>d'oeil  I  had  just  left,  to  burst  upon  it,  as  I  had  done, 
from  pitch  darkness. 

On  reaching  the  bottom  I  observed  a  board,  on  which 
was  written  in  French  and  also  in  English — I  rejoiced  to  see 
the  two  languages  standing  together  in  the  world  hand  in 
hand — the  following  notice : —  . 

"TOBinCEPEBSOFTHK  AsODETRIOMPHKUDOEXTma  NO  ^ 

SALASY  FBOM  GoVKBNMENT,  , 

XBt  YISaOBa  ABE  BOLICITBD  TO  GIVE  THEM  A  TXE,  WHICH  IS  ,,> 

LEFT  AT  THEQt  OWN  DISCBETION." 

_  ^ 

As  twelve  o'clock  had  just  struck,  I  walked  down  the 
beautiful  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elys^es  to  the  house  of  M. 
Moreau,  who,  on  my  showing  him  my  passport  and  explaining  to 
him  the  favour  I  wished  him  to  confer  upon  me,  was  good 
enough  to  desire  his  chief  clerk  to  give  me  the  following  or- 
der, which  I  insert  as  an  exemplification  of  the  politeness  of 
the  French  people  to  strangers  :^ 

.  '*AMon&  Denavlt^  olief  d'EtablissementrEtoile. 

"  Entreprise  66n4rale  des  Omnibus,  6,  Rue  St  Thomas  du  Louvre. 

"  Monsieur  Denault  est  autoi*i86  4  laiaser  entrer  dans  son  ^tabliese- 
ment,  pour  j  ejuuniner  le  mode  d'attacher  les  chevauz  dans  les  ^curiea^ 
&0, porteur  de  la  pr^nte.  ^ 

"Paris  le  80  Avril,  1861.  A.  Gbiyeau."*    ^ 


With  this  letter  in  my  hand  I  reascended  the  Champs 
Elysees,  and  passing  close  beneath  the  triumphal  arch,  turned 
to  my  left  along  the  street  indicated  \mtil  I  once  again  en 
tered  the  great  barrack-looking  square,  in  the  middle  of 
which,  very  nearly  on  the  spot  where  I  had  left  him  about 
an  hour  and  »  half  ago,  I  saw  M.  Denault  and  his  dark 
mustachios. 

On  presenting  to  him  my  authority,  his  countenance  as- 
sumed a  grave,  and  I  thought  rather  a  serious,  aspect ;  as 

*  To  Mr.  Denault,  Chief  of  the  Establishment  at  the  Etoile 

General  Association  of  Omnibuses,  No.  6,  Rue  St.  Thomas  du  Lonvre. 

Mr.  Denault  is  authorised  to  allow  to  enter  into  his  establishment^ 
for  the  pm'pose  of  esaminii^  the  mode  of  attaching  the  horses  in  the 
stables,  .<&o»    .f    .    .    .    .    c^e  bearer. 

A.  GaiviAU. 

Paris,  April  8<\  1861.  ,   .  ,,  ■■-*' 


Tm:  STROLL, 


83 


however  his  eyes  glanced  along  line  after  line  it  rapidly  re* 
laxed,  until,  looking  at  me  with  a  pleasing  smile,  he  told  mo, 
with  great  politeness,  that  he  should  now  be  most  happy  to 
give  me  all  the  information  in  his  power  ;  and  waving  his  hand 
m  signal  to  me  to  advance,  he  was  preparing  to  follow  me  to 
the  range  of  stables  before  hin^,  when  I  asked  him  to  be  kind 
enough  to  explain  to  me  the  strength  of  his  establishment. 
He  told  me  that  the  Company  to  which  he  belonged  had,  in 
six  establishments  in  Paris,  1500  horses,  of  which  300  were 
under  his  charge.  In  several  of  these  establishments  all  the 
horses  were  entire-  He  had,  however,  about  half  of  that  de- 
scription, the  remainder  being  about  half  mares  and  half 
horses,  as  in  England. 

The  long  building  before  us,  which,  as  I  have  stated,  very 
much  resembled  cavalry  barracks,  was  divided  into  a  scries 
of  15  stables,  each  80  feet  long,  containing  20  horses:  10  on 
each  side,  with  a  broad  passage  between  them. 

On  entering  No.  1,  I  was  much  struck  with  the  total  ab- 
sence of  the  usual  smell  of  a  stable,  and  with  the  scene  which 
unexpectedly  presented  itself.  Of  the  20  horses  that  belonged 
to  it  about  one-third  were  out  at  work.  Of  the  remainder, 
some  were  standing  with  their  tails  to  their  manger,  looking 
at  their  comrades  on  the  opposite  side ;  some  munching , 
beautiful  clean  shiny  wheat-straw  ;  while  others,  on  litters  of 
great  thickness  and  equally  clean,  were  lying  as  if  dead,  in 
a  variety  of  attitudes.  'One  or  two  at  full  length,  were  re- 
posing parallel  to  their  mangers  ;  some  occasionally  groaned, 
or  rather  grunted,  as  they  slept ;  one  gently  raised  his  head 
to  look  at  me,  and  then,  as  if  I  really  was  not  worth  a  mo- 
ment's more  notice,  laid  it  flat  down  again.  Two  more,  lying 
face  to  face,  as  if  in  each  other's  arms,  were  partly  under  the 
feet  of  a  neighbour  feeding  from  his  manger.  All  were  sleek 
and  fat. 

In  few  stables  in  England  have  I  ever  seen  litter  in  a 
cleaner  state,  horses  in  better  health,  or  in  a  greater  state  of 
enjoyment.  The  reason  was  evident.  The  row  of  fifteen 
stables,  instead  of  being,  as  in  our  cavalry  barracks-M)r  even 
as  in  our  hunting-boxes — divided  from  each  other  by  brick 
walls,  were  separted  only  by  open  wooden  palings  about 
eight  feet  high,  which  allowed  the  air  to  circulate  throughout 
the  whole  length  of  the  building,  and  escape  through  air- 

4t 


34 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FliFlNCJI  STICKS. 


ohimnoys  conBtructed  for  the  purpose.  Besides  this,  in  the 
upper  portion  of  the  front  and  rear  walls  of  each  stable  there 
had  been  constructed  air-shutters  for  regulating  the  tempera- 
ture in  each  long  compartment. 

"  Vous  avez  encore  trois  degr^s  de  trop  !"*  said  Monsieur 
Donault  to  a  man  in  a  blue  jacket  and  blue  trowsers,  who, 
from  the  instant  I  had  entered  the  stable,  had  not  only  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  me,  but  had  swallowed  every  observation  I  had 
made.  * 

''  Ah  I"  said  this  man,  nodding  his  head,  "  il  va  done  tom« 
ber  de  l'eau."t 

In  stable  Nos  1,  in  which  we  stood,  the  horses — ^unsepa- 
rated  by  partitions,  but  divided  in  couples  by  swinging  bails 
— were  all  tied  and  fed  together  in  pairs.  To  each  couple 
there  was  given  per  day  5  "kilos"  of  hay,  4  of  straw,  15 
litres  of  grain.  In  summer  an  additional  litre  of  grain,  and 
in  very  hot  weather  bran  twice  a  week.  j 

I  mentioned  to  M.  Denault,  that  in  England  oninibus 
horses  are  almost  invariably  fed  on  a  mixture  of  chopped  hay, 
chopped  straw,  and  corn.  He  replied  he  was  of  opinion  that, 
according  to  the  common  principles  of  gastronomy,  horses,  like 
men,  prefer  a  variety  of  dishes.  \ 

•'  They  enjoy  their  hay  ;  gain  strength  and  sustenance  from 
their  corn  ;  et  puis  apres,  Monsieur,  ils  mangent  de  la  paille" — 
shrugging  up  his  shoulders  and  showing  mc  the  palms  of  both 
his  hands — "  pour  s'amuser :  (ja  les  occupe ;  9a  lour  distrait  j 
9a  les  emp^che  de  se  battre  !"| 

On  my  inquiring  how  many  persons  were  employed  to  keep 
the  stable  as  clean  as  I  beheld  it,  he  informed  me  that  to 
every  ten  horses  is  attached  one  man,  who  feeds  and  takes 
care  of  them  ;  there  are  consequently  two  such  attendants 
in  each  stable.  For  every  ten  liorses  there  is  also  a  per- 
son appointed  to  clean  their  harness  and  the  carriages  they 
draw. 

On  entering  stable  No.  2,  which  in  point  of  cleanliness  and 
ventilation  was  the  fac-simile  of  the  one  I  had  just  left,  I  found 
it  contained  nothing  but  entire  horseSj  who,  unseparated  even 

*  You  are  too  hot  by  three  degrees  1  '^' 

+  All  1  we  shall  hove  rain  then.  f 

\  And  after  that,  Sir,  they  eat  straw  to  amiise  themselves :  it  occupies 
tbem — ^it  distractb  their  attention — it  prevents  them  from  fighting. 


THE  STROLL. 


M 


by  bails,  fed;  slept,  worked,  in  short,  lived  together  in  pain  ,* 
each  couple,  however  '>  ere  divided  from  the  adjoining  ones  on 
the  right  and  left  by  .  inging  bars,  susjpended  by  a  rope  from 
the  ceiling  at  a  height  a  little  above  the  hooks.  The  horses 
before  me  were  not  only  in  tt^e  enioyment  of  stout  robust 
health,  but  their  coats  were  particularly  short,  sleejc,  and  glossy. 
For  the  work  they  are  required  to  perform  they  appeared  al- 
most perfect  in  form.  They  are  low  punchy  creatures,  with 
short,  stout,  active-looking  legs  and  small  heads,  bought  by  t^» 
company  between  four  and  five  years  of  age,  principally  ia 
Normandy  and  Belgium,  but  the  best  come  from  the  depart- 
ment des  Ardennes.  The  price  paid  for  them  is  from  500  tQ 
000  francs,  say  about  £22  sterling.  As  soon  as  they  are  re- 
ceived from  the  several  sellers  they  are  marked  with  what  is 
called  a  "  baptismal  number,"  cut  with  scissors  in  the  hair  of 
the  neck.  After  the  period  of  trial  has  expired,  if  found  to  be 
sound,  as  warranted,  uie  same  number  is  branded  with  a  hot 
iron  on  the  hind  thigh^  just  below  the  hip,  and  beneath  it  th« 
last  figure  of  the  year  in  which  they  were  purchased. 

On  receiving  this  information  I  expressed  to  M.  BenauU 
my  surprise  that  his  company  should  be  honest  enough  indeli- 
bly to  record  that  which  ladies  and  horse-masters  in  England 
are  always  so  very  particularly  desirous  to  conceal,  namely, 
the  exact  age ;  but  he  replied, "  When  the  Company  m,Td  once 
purchased  a  horse  they  never  sell  him  until  he  becomes  use- 
Jess." 

"Then,"  said  I,  with  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the  branded 
marks  of  an  extremely  powerful  well-made  entire  horse  that 
was  before  me, "  do  you  d«signate  them  only  by  their  num- 
Ibers  ? — have  they  no  names  ?" 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  we  only  know  them  by  their  numbers  ,* 
they  have  no  names." 

"  Mais  oui !"  observed  sharply  and  gruffly  the  stableman  in 
blue,  in  charge  of  the  horses,  and  who,  like  his  comrade  in  the 
other  stable,  had  been  most  attentively  listening  to  every  word 
that  had  come  out  of  my  mouth.  "  Mais  oui,"  he  repeated  in 
broad  patois;  "je  leur  donne  a  chacun  son  nomi  Gelui-oi, 
par  example,"  pointing  to  the  powerful,  thickset,  sleek,  livelj 
grey  horse  whose  brand  I  was  still  looking  at, "  j'appelle  Jean- 
Battiste ;  c'lui-la  Fou."* 

*  Oh  yes  1  I  give  each  of  them  his  name.    This  on:^  for  instance^  I  call 
«»Jean-BaUister  that  one  "Fool" 


A  FAOaOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


The  latter  word  was  hardly  oat  of  his  month,  and  most 
certainly  eonld  not  have  reached  the  roof  of  the  stahle,  wh^n 
all  of  a  sadden,  and  for  no  apparent  oaaae,  John-Baptist,  toss- 
ing his  head  in  the  air,  and  kicki|ig  violently,  gaye  a  most  tre- 
mendons  squeal,  that  really  quite  electrified  mo. 

*^  Ah,  Baor6  oochon  I"*  exclaimed  his  keeper^  with  raised 
and  uplifted  eyebrows,  as  with  both  hands  he  raised  his  Ions 
wooden*pronged  pitchfork  perpendicularly  above  his  head, 
**  qu'as  tu  done,  v4euz  coquin  ?"t  John  made  no  answer,  but 
at  onoe,  whatever  might  have  been  the  point  in  dispute,  gave  it 
up,  and  then,  nestlinff  like  a  lamb  towards  his  comrade,  shared 
with  him  in  a  mouthful  of  clean  straw. 

While  i  was  ruminating  at  the  hurricane  which  had  so 
•luddenly  subsided,  a  bell  rang,  and  at  the  same  pioment  I  ob- 
served  that  all  the  horses  on  one  side  of  the  stable  began  to 

{)rick  their  ears,  move  their  feet,  look  behind  them,  and  show 
ittle  o«twar4  signs  of  inward  satisfaction,  such  as  occasionally 
may  be  seen  very  slightly  ^o  flit  across  the  countenances  of 
fine  ladies  and  gentlemen  when,  after  a  dull,  tedious,  protracted 
period  of  waiting,  their  ears  are  suddenly  refreshed  by  the 
sound  I  have  just  mentioned — the  dinner-bell.  In  less  than  a 
minute  the  feeder  entered,  carrying  on  his  shoulder  a  sack  of 
com,  which  he  placed  on  the  ground,  and  he  had  scarcely  com- 
menced to  measure  out  three  or  four  double  handfuls  into  a  large 
round  sieve  beside  it,  when  all  his  ten  horses  began  some  to 
scream,  aome  to  bite  at  each  other,  and  all  more  or  less  to 
stamp  on  the  ground.  I  asked  M.  Denault  why  the  ten  ani- 
mals before  us  remained  perfectly  quiet  % 

"•  Ah,"  muttered  the  keeper  in  blue, "  c*est  qu'ils  connaissent 
bien  que  ce  n'est  pas  pour  eux  P'  %  In  about  five  minutes, 
however,  when  in  his  turn  he  went  away  for  his  sack  of  oata, 
his  own  horses,  Jean  Battiste,  Fou,  and  all,  became  so  excited 
that  a  good  many  "  sacr^s,"  some  long  drawn  and  some  sharp, 
were  expended  to  subdue  them ;  indeed,  I  never  saw  a  set  of 
animals  feed  with  greater  voracity. 

While  the  twenty  horses  in  profound  silence,  with  their 
twenty  mouths  in  the  manger,  with  nothing  about  them  moving 
but  their  jaws, — save  occasionally  an  ear  that  very  viciously 


'*W5 


ki* 


WS -ft 


•  Ah,  abominable  hog. 

♦  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  you  old  rogue  ? 

*  4  ^  because  they  know  well  enough  it  is  not  for  them. 


v\ 


THE  *J    ROLL, 


37 


lay  bftok  wbetiever  a  comrade  of  the  ^«t>oiir!ttr  ¥m\\e  ,  6ii« 
tared  to  look  at  what  they  were  oata  —were  tus  busily  oo* 
oupied,  I  asked  M.  D'^natdt  whether  th<  did  not  %ight  at  night  ? 
PointiDff  to  a  large  lamp  suspended  fWm  ■  rafter  in  the  cen- 
tre of  toe  stall,  he  told  me  that  the  two  men  before  ns  were 
always  required  to  sleep  in  the  stable. 

^  Voil^  nos  plumes  Ik  has  I"  *  said  my  blue  satellite,  pointing 
to  some  straw  on  a  wooden  frame  at  the  end  of  the  stable. 
''Ah,  saor6!"t  ke  exclaimed,  through  his  teeth,  to  a  fine, 
sturdy,  brown  horse,  that  a  few  seconds  ago  had  begun  to  nib- 
ble the  mane  of  his  comrade,  and  was  biting  harder  and  harder 
every  instant. 

('  En  place  I"  %  said  the  opposite  stableman  to  a  pair  of 
horses,  warm  and  dirty,  that  had  iust  entered  from  their  work. 
"  En  place  I"  he  repeated ;  the  animals  obeyed,  and  walked  be- 
tween a  pair  of  vacant  bails  to  their  own  two  halters. 

"  Of  the  three  descriptions  of  horses  in  your  establishment, 
which,"  I  said  to  Monsieur,  "  do  you  prefer?" 

He  answered  that,  although  entire  horses  are  the  most  lia- 
ble to  catch  cold,  and  altogether  are  the  most  delicate,  they 
are  nevertheless  the  most  enduring,  and  consequently  the  best 
adapted  for  long  distances,  ''  pour  les  diligences ;"  ^  in  short, 
for  "  vitesse  et  vigueur."  ||  For  'bus  work,  where  they  are  lia- 
ble constantly  to  be  stopped,  the  ordinary  horse  is  only  prefer- 
able on  account  of  his  being  more  calm  and  of  his  more  docile 
temper :  "  ils  se  fatiguent  moins,  ils  durent  plus  longtemps."  % 
He  said  that  mares  were  considered  worst  of  all :  and  vmen  I 
told  him  that  almost  an  opposite  opinion  existed  in  England, 
he  explained  to  me  that  it  is  the  habit  in  Belgium,  and  in  the 
departement  des  Ardennes,  to  sell  mares  in  foal,  in  order  that 
they  should  appear  stout :  a^d  that,  on  being  deprived  of  their 
offspring,  they  are  usually  assailed  by  a  miEk  fever,  in  conser 
quence  of  which  they  become  weak.       *  "' 

I  asked  him  how  he  managed  to  persuade  his  entire  horses 
to  live  close  together  in  pairs,  witb  nothing  but  a  swinging  bail 
between  each  couple  ?  He  told  me,  with  considerable  ani- 
mation, that,  when  first  put  together  in  couples,  "ils  cherchent 


~e 


*  There  are  our  feather  beds !  f  Ah,  holy  I 

%  Into  your  place. 
§  For  stage  work.  J  For  speed  and  vigour* 

%  They  fetigue  themselveB  lees,  and  last  longer. 


•a- 


||.  A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENOJI  STICKS. 

dispute,  ils  so  battont  pour  quolquos  jours."*  Witn  a  groat 
deal  of  very  ezprossive  aotion,  which  mado  him  quite  warm, 
bo  showod  me  how  thoy  bit,  how  they  fought,  how  they  paw- 
ed, and  how  thoy  kioked  out  behind  at  each  other.  "  Mais," 
he  added,  with  great  oalmness,  good  sense,  and  good  nature, 
"  aprds  quo  chacun  a  compris  le  caraotdre  de  sou  voisin  ila 
deviennent  bona  camarados  l"t 

He  added  that  as  soon  as  a  young  horse  lately  purohased 
has  been  found  to  be  sound,  besides  being  branded  as  des- 
cribed, "  On  lui  fait  la  toilette  fX  that  is  to  say,  thoy  out  off 
his  beard,  pull  his  mane,  remove  any  long  hairs  about  his  fet- 
locks, and,  by  other  little  delicate  attentions,  smarten  him  up 
fox  Paris  work.  He  told  me,  however,  they  never  docked  a 
horse's  tail,  as  it  was  highly  valuable,  not  only  for  flapping 
flies  from  himself,  but  from  nis  comrade  in  harness  ;  indeed, 
he  said  it  was  observed  that  horses  at  Paris  which  had  no 
tails  usually  grow  lean  in  summer.  In  the  winter  they  adopt 
the  English  custom  of  singeing  the  roughest. 
•D  I  asked  M.  Denault  what  was  the  meaning  of  sometimes 
a  little  bit  of  straw,  and  sometimes  of  hay,  which  I  here  and 
there  observed  to  be  plaited  in  a  lock  of  the  tail  of  several  of 
the  horses  1  He  replied  that  the  stablemen,  in  washing  over 
the  horses'  feet,  were  directed  every  day  very  attentively  to 
observe  whether  any  of  them  wanted  either  shoeing  or  nailing ; 
that  in  the  former  case  they  were  required  to  insert  in  the  tail  a 
piece  of  straw ;  and  in  the  latter  a  piece  of  hay ;  and  thus, 
;rhen  the  blacksmith  made  his  daily  visit,  without  being  at  the 
trouble  to  examine  the  feet  of  every  one,  he  saw  at  a  glance 
not  only  those  that  stood  in  need  of  him,  but,  by  the  bit  of 
hay  or  straw,  exactly  what  each  wanted  ;  under  this  ingenious 
arrangement  the  stableman,  and  not  the  blacksmith,  is  very 
properly  held  responsible  for  a  horse  casting  a  shoe  at  work. 

On  proceeding  to  'the  smith's  shop,  I  found  him  engaged 
in  shoeing  a  horse  in  the  old  French  fashion  of  forty  years 
ago ;  that  is  to  say,  his  assistant  was  holding  up  the  animal's 
foot  while  he  was  driving  in  the  nails.    I  told  him,  as  he  was 


*  They  look  out  for  a  quarrel,  and  fight  for  some  days. 
\  But  after  each  has  comprehendea  the  charact«r  of  his  neighbour, 
they  become  good  comrades. 

\  They  arrange  his  toilette  for  him.  . 


TOE  UTROLL, 


39 


hammering  away,  that  in  England  both  operations  wore  per- 
formed by  one  man,  upon  which  ho  looked  at  his  assistant, — 
who  looked  at  him — both  grinned  at  each  other — shook  their 
black  locks — and  then  proceeded  with  their  work.  The  shocg 
he  was  putting  on  were  very  little  heavier  than  those  used  iu 
England,  a  set  of  four  weighing  six  pounds.  The  nails,  how- 
over,  are  in  Franco  not  only  driven  into  the  foot  at  a  different 
angle  from  ^hat  in  which  they  are  inserted  in  England,  but 
tlie  head  of  each  is  forced  into  a  square  hole,  made  exactly  to 
fit  it,  by  which  arrangement,  being  flush  with  the  shoe,  they 
do  not,  it  is  urged,  wear  off;  on  the  other  hand,  they  of  course, 
cannot,  as  in  England,  prevent  the  horse  from  slipping. 
Above  the  bent  bodies  of  the  smith  and  his  mate  I  observed, 
suspended  to  the  forgo,  a  quantitv  of  artificial  roses,  mixed 
up  with  an  assemblage  of  smart  rioands,  blue,  white,  and  red^ 
which,  I  was  informed,  had  been  placed  there  on  the  f&te  de 
St.  Eloi,  the  patron  of  blacksmiths,  and  that  according  to 
custom  they  would  remain  until  the  annual  return  of  the  same 
ffite,  when  they  would  be  replaced  by  new  ones. 

"  In  England,"  thought  I  to  myself,  "  the  patron  of  a 
blacksmith  is  whoever  has  last  given  him  a  pot  of  beer." 

There  are  two  sorts  of  water  in  the  establishment,  one 
from  pumps,  used  for  washing  the  harness  and  carriages,  the 
other  from  the  Seine  ;  the  latter,  every  four-and-twenty 
hours,  is  turned  into  large  open-  tanks,  to  which  the  horses 
are  led  to  drink  three  times  a  day,  it  being  a  rule  that  no  one 
is  allowed  to  approach  it  until  ho  has  been  iu  the  stable  two 
hours  after  his  work. 

On  entering  the  infirmary  I  fou:.d  a  veterinary  surgeon, 
with  a  pair  of  very  long  yellow  mustachios,  with  his  coat  off, 
and  with  a  sort  of  apron  round  his  body,  busily  employed  iu 
drenching  a  sick  horse  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  warm  bran 
tea,  his  assistent  being  quite  as  vigorously  occupied  with  the 
animal  elsewhere.  The  poor  thing's  head  was  tied  to  a  ring  in 
the  wall,  and  a  noose  having  been  passed  round  his  upper  jaw, 
it  was,  by  a  third  assistant,  hauled  upwards  towards  another 
ring,  inserted  at  a  great  height,  by  which  means  the  doctor 
was  enabled  with  perfect  ease  to  pour  wholesale  down  his 
throat  the  smoking  draft ;  in  fact,  there  was  no  resisting  the 
double  treatment  to  which  he  was  simultaneously  subjected  ' 
^nd  as  I  could  eYidently  do  uo  wore  %\m  earnestly  hope  ii 


-  •♦■»  ■ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


might  cure  him  of  whatever  Were  his  afflictions,  I  walked 
away,  and  was  conducted  by  my  obliging  attendant  to  an  im- 
mense magazine,  five  stories  high,  in  which,  piled  on  each 
floor,  four  or  five  feet  high,  I  found  a  stock  of  black,  sweet, 
but  light  chaffy  oats,  sufficient  to  keep  the  whole  establish- 
ment for  more  than  a  year ;  indeed,  the  building  was  so  in- 
geniously and  so  admirably  ventilated,  that  I  was  assured, 
with  common  precautions,  corn  could  be  kept  in  it  for  ten 
years.  At  some  distance  from  this  building  was,  also  under 
cover,  a  very  abundant  supply  of  hay,  tied  up  in  bundles, 
"  bottes,"  ready  for  use. 

It  is  under  the  treatment  I  have  described  that  the  omni- 
bus horses  of  the  west  end  of  Paris  serve  the  public.  The 
establishment  reflects  great  credit  upon  the  community  in  gene- 
ral, and  upon  M.  Denault  and  M.  Moreau  in  particular.  By 
their  unceasing  care  the  horse's  life  is  a  wholesome,  healthy, 
and  happy  mixture  of  enjoyment  and  work ;  indeed,  sweet, 
clean,  and  comfortable  as  are  their  stables,  their  harness  is  so 
easy  and  loose,  the  Paris  air  is  so  fresh,  everything  is  so  gay, 
there  is  so  much  for  them  to  look  at,  and,  apparently,  wher- 
ever they  go,  and  especially  wherever  they  stop,  there  are 
such  innumerable  subjects — all  apparently  of  such  vast  im- 
portance— for  them  to  neigh  abOut,  that  I  really  believe  they 
are,  if  possible,  happier  in  the  streets  than  at  home.  It  is 
true  they  do  not  go  as  fast  as  the  omnibus  horses  of  London, 
and  that  at  Paris  a  man  is  considered  to  estimate  time  at 
somewhat  more  than  its  real  value  who,  to  purchase  a  few 
minutes,  would  inflict  pain  and  suffering  upon  a  race  of  ani- 
mals, especially  created  for  his  happiness  and  enjoyment. 
But,  without  checking  fast  driving  in  England,  it  is  surely 
the  duty  of  the  public,  if  they  determine  to  enjoy  it,  to  obtain, 
by  dint  of  a  few  moments'  reflection,  sweet  air,  pure  water, 
and  kind  attentions  for  those  noble  creatures  whose  superior 
physical  strength  it  is  alike  their  duty  and  their  interest  to 
foster  rather  than  exhaust. 

With  this  moral  in  my  mind,  I  very  gratefully  thanked 
M.  Denault  for  the  obliging  attention  he  had  shown  me,  to 
which  he  replied  by  insisting  on  giving  me  an  introduction  to 
the  manufacturer  of  the  company's  omnibus  carriages,  as  also 
a  note  to  the  principal  superintendent  of  the  company's 
largest  eetablishment  of  horses  at  the  opposite  or  east  side  of 


I 


i  y 


ENTBEPBISE  GmSRALE  DES  OMNIBUS. 


i\ 


Paris,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city,  and  of  the  Barri^re  de 
Gharenton. 


•  ••" 


EJTTREPBISB  GJfiNERALE  DES  OMNIBUS. 

After  taking  leave  of  M.  Denault  I  was  conducted  by  his 
piqueur  to  a  large  gate,  over  which  was  inscribed  "  Entreprise 
Geii6rale  des  Omnibus." 

On  ringing  the  bell,  a  side  door  opening  into  a  large  court 
flew  open,  and  almost  at  the  same  moment  there  stood  right 
before  me,  in  a  white  cap,  an  old  withered  concierge,  with  a 
face  not  very  unlike  that  of  Cerberus,  who  was  evidently  un- 
willing to  admit  me  until  she  had  been  informed  that  I  had 
come  there  by  order  of  M.  Denault,  upon  which,  relieving  her 
conscience  by  a  very  slight  shrug,  and  then  turning  her  bent 
back  upon  me,  she  hobbled  into  her  lodge,  and  my  conductor, 
seeing  he  had  effected  his  object,  with  a  friendly  salute  re- 
turned to  his  stables. 

The  chef  of  the  establishment,  a  short  intelligent-looking 
gentleman,  with  a  bushy,  brushy  beard,  walked  towards  me ; 
and  as,  although  he  said  nothing,  his  attitude  was  very  clearly 
interrogatjpry  of  what  I  wanted,  I  very  briefly  explained  that 
I  wished  to  be  permitted  to  walk  over  his  workshops.  He 
replied  very  kindly  that  I  might  go  wherever  I  liked;  and 
exactly  as  I  desired,  he  then  left  me  t(^  speak  to  a  workman 
who  was  evidently  waiting  for  him. 

In  the  yard  before  me  there  stood,  with  high  poles,  and 
rounded  tires  to  the  wheels,  several  new  omnibuses,  elegantly 
constructed  and  handsomely  varnished,  divided  inside  into 
seats  for  seventeen  persons  (the  two  next  the  door  are  not 
separated),  with  breadth  of  passage  in  the  middle  sufficient 
to  allow  passengers  ample  room  to  enter  and  depart  without 
rubbing  against  the  knee-pans  of  those  who  are  seated.  To 
the  roof  was  affixed  a  brass  rod  or  hand-rail,  to  ensure  rickety 
old  gentlemen  against  reeling  sideways  into  ladies'  laps,  and 
vice  versd.  For  the  purpose  of  entrance  were  two  broad  easy 
steps ;  and  on  the  left-hand  back  panel  shone  a  transparent 
tell-tale  dial,  the  black  fingers  of  which, — ^in  obedience  to  a 


42 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS,  . 


string  which,  wheneyer  any  one  enters,  the  conductor  is 
obliged  to  pull,  and  which  also  strikes  a  bell  "  one," — informs 
passengers  inside,  the  public  outside,  and  the  proprietor  at 
the  end  of  the  course  or  journey,  how  many  fares  have  been 
received.  .  In  Paris  omnibuses  have  no  doors,  or  rather  the 
door  is  formed  by  the  conductor,  who  stands  on  the  upper 
step  of  the  entrance,  leaning  against  a  broad  strap,  which  in 
an  instant  he  can  unhook,  for  the  ingress  or  egress  of  the 
public. 

In  another  part  of  the  yard  I  observed  near  the  wall 
three  old,  worn-out,  dead,  but  not  buried,  "  diligences,"  which 
in  their  day  had  been  considered  not  only  as  vast  improve- 
ments of  the  old  form,  but  as  imitations  of  the  English  mode 
of  travelling.  They  were  composed  of  four  different  sorts  of 
carriages  stuck  together.  The  rear  one,  which  was  very  low, 
held  eight  persons,  four  on  each  side,  sitting  with  their 
shoulders  towards  the  horses.  The  middle  one  six,  sitting 
opposite  to  each  other,  three  with  their  faces,  and  three  with 
their  backs,  towards  the  horses.  The  front  chariot  three, 
above  whose  heads  there  grew  out,  like  an  immense  fungus, 
a  nondescript  sort  of  cabriolet,  with  leather  head  and  apron, 
for  four  more,  behind  this  rude  thing  was  a  frame-work  to 
enable  baggage  to  be  piled  up  to  a  fearful  height.  As  might 
reasonably  be  expected,  the  under  part  of  these  antiquated 
quadruple  vehicles  was  as  clumsily  constructed  as  the  super- 
structure I  have  just  described.  The  wheels  were'  low  and 
heavy ;  the  tires,  in  five  separate  pieces,  flat,  and  of  double 
the  present  breadth  -^.l^e  springs  unelastic :  the  pole  stuck , 
out  little  above  the  horses'  knees.  .^ 

By  the  side  of  these  old-fashioned  travelling-machines 
were,  in  various  stages  of  construction,  several  new  carriages, 
with  improved  wheels,  axles,  and  poles,  handsomely  stuffed 
and  painted,  but  on  the  same  principle — rather  inconsistent,  I 
thought,  with  that  of  a  republio— of  dividing  the  travelling 
community  into  four  separate  uncomfortable  compartments  or 
cages;  thus  creatinr*  much  unnecessary  weight  and  expense. 
The  carriages  were  certainly  handsomely  varnished ;  but,  as 
compared  with  the  light  omnibuses  at  the  other  end  of  tho 
yard,  were  like  heavy  over  dressed  dowagers  sitting  behind 
the  rising  generation, ''  tripping  on  the  light  fantastic  toe." 

I  was  looking  a^t  several  workmen,  who^  cooped  within  |)ne 


n 


1 1 


ENTERPRISE  GENERALS  DES  OMNIBUS. 


43 


of  these  heavy  vehicles,  were  ornamenting  its  drab  cloth  lining 
with  handsome  broad  lace,  when  I  observed  the  concierge 
opening  the  great  gate  to  admit  what  at  the  moment  formed, 
I  thought,  rather  an  affecting  picture,  namely,  a  lame  'bus 
coming  into  hospital.  In  some  chance-medley  it  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  its  side,  and  was  now  dragged  forward  by 
a  low,  punchy,  light-hearted,  merry  little  horse,  who,  on  de- 
positing it  in  the  yard,  was  no  sooner  tied  by  his  halter  to  a 
ring  in  the  wall  than,  suddenly  looking  behind  him,  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  he  begaj.  to  neigh,  as  if  he 
was  determined  that  every  living  being  in  the  establishment 
should  know  exactly  how  the  accident  had  Ijappened — '•  quorum 
pars  magna  fui" — in  short,  what  an  amazing  deal,  in  some  way 
or  other,  he  had  had  to  do  with  it.  Nobody,  however,  listened 
to  or  even  looked  at  him  but  myself  ^ 

From  the  yard  I  proceeded  into  the  workshops,  in  whichj 
with  the  assistance  of  a  powerful  steam-engine,  a  number  of 
artificers  were  at  work.  Several  circular  saws,  with  a  whizzing 
noise,  were  cutting  out  the  main-frames  of  omnibuses  in  em- 
bryo, while  three  or  four  turning-lathes  were  as  busily  employ- 
ed in  preparing  useful  and  ornamental  work  of  different  de- 
scriptions, the  whole  of  which  was  quietly  but  very  neatly  ex* 
ecuted. 

On  entering  the  department  of  Vulcan,  in  which  were 
several  forges  at  work,  I  could  not  help  being  struck  with  the 
difference  between  French  and  English  smiths,  with  the  latter 
of  whom  I  have  had  some  little  acquaiuoance.  Both  raise 
their  sledge-hammers  with  equal  vigour ;  but  the  effort  of  the 
French  "  striker"  seems  to  die  away  before  it  reaches  the 
anvil ;  whereas  in  England  with  the  momentum  it  invariably 
quickens.  The  same  difference  was  apparent  to  me  in  heavy 
filing.  The  French  workman  makes  a  great  effort  to  get  the 
file  into  its  position,  and  afterwards  half  gives  it  up.  The 
English  smith  prepares  gently,  and  then  works  spitefully.  In 
two  words,  the  French  smith  appears  to  work  very  neatly  in- 
deed, but,  as  we  should  term  it,  to  niggle.  m 

On  entering  a  large  shop,  warmed  by  a  stove,  in  which  a 
number  of  men  were  busily  employed  in  painting  and  in  lining 
omnibuses,  I  observed  a  fine,  tall,  ruddy-faced,  goodhumoured- 
looking  man,  with  white  mustaohios,  in  a  jblue  linen  smock- , 
coat  and  trowsers,  who  had  at  his  back,  towering  a  couple  of 


M\ 


44 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


feet  above  his  head,  a  machine,  covered  with  crimson  velvet, 
upon  which  were  suspended  on  hooks  four  silver  cups,  like 
bells.  Beneath  them  on  each  side  of  the  man's  hips  there  pro- 
jected from  the  apparatus  he  was  carrying  a  short  silver-plated 
pipe,  ending  in  a  similarly  resplendent  tap.  As  he  proceeded 
he  at  intervals  rang  a  merry  bell,  which  appeared  to  create 
universal  thirst,  for  without  a  single  exception  the  workmen 
at  every  carriage  he  came  to  stopped  for  a  moment  to  drink 
off,  when  it  came  to  their  turn,  what  he  gave  them,  which  I 
observed  sometimes  to  be  in  a  large  cup  and  sometimes  in  a 
little  one,  the  different  doses  bearing  no  relation  whatever  to 
the  difference  in  size  of  those  who  received  them.  In  due 
time  the  orimson-velveted  cask  was  drained  dry,  and,  as  the 
man  walked  with  it  into  retirement  behind  the  body  of  an  old 
'bus,  I  followed  him,  and  after  conversing  with  him  about  the 
weather,  the  Great  Exhibition  in  London,  and  a  variety  of 
other  little  introductory  subjects,  I  asked  him  at  last  to  explain 
to  me  what  he  was  selling,  and  what  he  charged  for  it.  The 
answer  to  the  first  question  almost  spoke  for  itself;  or 
rather,  the  pump  beside  us,  and  two  pots  of  stuff,  one  dread- 
fully sour  and  the  other  of  a  sweet  citron  taste,  explained  to 
me  that  the  mixture  he  was  concocting  was  an  innocent  de- 
scription of  weak  lemonade,  which,  while  he  was  making  it,  I 
tasted,  and  paid  him  for  with  a  piece  of  silver,  that  seemed  at 
once  to  unlock  the  most  secret  recesses  of  his  hec  t,  and  he 
accordingly  told  me  that  every  workman  in  the  establishment 
contracted  with  him  for  a  glass  of  lemonade,  as  oftentimes  per 
day  as  he  thought  proper  to  administer  it.  He  said  that, 
ringing  his  beU  to  announce  his  approach,  he  usually  paid 
them  three  or  four  visits  a  day. 

''  Mais  quand  11  fait  ohaud,  ma  foi,  Monsieur,  bien  souvent 
o'est  cinq  fois  !"  • 

His  charges  for  this  luxury  were,  he  informed  me,  eight 
sous  (four  pence)  a  fortnight  for  those  who  were  satisfied  with 
a  little  cup,  ten  sous  a  fortnight  for  those  who  generously  al- 
lowed their  stomachs  the  large  one. 

As  the  crimson-velveted  machine  was  now  full  again,  and 
as  I  also  was  replete  with  the  information  I  desired,  we  both, 
like  country  actors  when  the  curtain  draws  up,  again  appear- 
ed before  the  public.     Tinkling  his  bell,  he  walked  straight 

*  But  when  it  gets  hoi,  faitb,  Sir,  it  is  often  five  times  1 


// 


!    ( 


CAFE  DE  PARIS. 


45 


to  the  window  of  a  green  'bus  full  of  men  lining  it.  I 
strolled  towards  an  artist  emblazoning  with  sundry  ornaments 
the  panels  of  a  yellow  one.  After  admiring  the  execution 
of  his  work,  which  caused  his  brush,  I  thought,  to  work  with, 
if  possible,  a  little  more  alacrity  than  before,  I  asked  him, 
after  a  variety  of  small  questions,  what  he  thought  of  the 
revolution  % 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  I  gained  a  little  fortune  from 
it  in  painting  out  coronets.  I  have  since  gained  still  more 
by  painting  them  in  again.  Ma  foi.  Monsieur,"  suddenly 
ceasing  to  paint,  and  looking  in  my  face  with  a  pleasing 
smile. — ^"  /don't  care  how  often  we  have  a  revolution !" 


•  ♦•• 


CAFE  DE  PARIS. 


As  whatever  is  worth  doing  is  always  worth  doing  well,  at 
about  half  past  six  in  the  evening  of  my  first  day  in  Paris, 
I  inquired  all  of  a  sudden  of  a  French  gentleman  who  was 
passing  with  me  across  a  street,  where  was  the  h^t  place  to 
dine  %  and  as,  after  enumerating  several  which  I  forgot  as 
fast  as  he  mentioned  them,  he  ended  by  advising  me,  on  the 
whole,  if  I  liked  a  good  dinner,  to  go  to  the  Caf6  de  Paris,  on 
the  Boulevart  des  Italiens,  I  enjoyed  the  walk,  and  the  re- 
flection it  gave  rise  to,  and,  in  due  time  reaching  my  goal,  I 
found  myself  comfortably  seated  in  a  small  octagonal  room, 
chastely  painted,  brilliantly  illuminated  by  gaslights,  reflect- 
ed in  and  multiplied  by  plate  glass,  behind,  before,  in  fact  all 
around  me.  In  this  little  chamber  of  Adonis,  which  looked 
into  a  larger  saloon,  were  negligently  scattered  a  quantity  of 
small  tables. 

On  entering  I  had  very  carefully  bowed  to  the  two  pre- 
Eiding  ladies  of  the  establishment.  I  had  selected  a  seat, 
had  deposited  my  hat  and  stick  in  perfect  safety,  and,  pleased 
to  think  how  admirably  and  almost  intuitively  I  had  done  it 
all,  I  was  going  to  take  a  long,  placid,  comfortable  look  at 
every  body  and  every  thing  around  me, — ^for  in  my  little  den 
there  were  evidently  a  great  number  of  bodies  and  of  things 


46 


w 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGIl  STICKS. 


worth  looking  at, — ^when  as  straight  as  a  bull-dog  rushes  at  4 
bull  there  advanced  towards  me,  whisking  the  tail  of  a  v'ute 
napkin  as  if  to  intimidate  me,  a  very  respectable  mau-of 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  dressed  in  a  white  neck -cloth,  a 
very  well-made  dark  cloth  jacket,  but  without  any  trowsers, 
breeches,  or  pantaloons, — at  least  I  could  not  see  any,  be- 
cause the  region  they  inhabit  was  completely  covered  with  a 
white  apron. 

As  my  object  was  to  appear  quite  at  my  *'ase,  I  deter- 
mined to  receive  him  without — ^at  all  events  showing — the 
slightest  emotion ;  as  soon,  however,  as  he  reached  me,  he 
laid  down  on  the  table  before  me,  not  only  a  long  rigmarole 
written  paper,  but  a  very  large  book,  and,  submitting  to  me 
these  data  to  compound  an  answer,  he  asked  me  in  beautiful 
French,  and  with  another  whisk  of  his  napkin,  what  I  would 
desire  for  my  dinner  ?  Now,  six-and  thirty  years  ago,  it  was, 
I  recollected,  considered  as  rather  a  dashing  thing  to  answer 
a  query  of  this  nature  by  saying  negligently,  and  apparently 
with  unshaken  reliance  on  the  "honour"  and  good  taste  of 
the  chef  in  a  white  nightcap  below,  "  A  cinq  francs  !"  *  I 
accordingly  tried  very  hard  not  only  to  say  but  to  look  the 
words  as  youthfully  as  I  had  used  to  do.  Instead,  however, 
of  receiving  the  grateful  bow  I  had  expected,  the  gentleman 
in  waiting,  with  a  shrug  which  I  feared  told  everybody,  every- 
where, that  I  was  making  to  him  some  very  mean  unconscien- 
tious proposal,  replied  he  would  rather  I  would  name  what  I 
would  desire  to  have.  Of  course  I  instantly  consented,  ob- 
serving, with  a  wave  of  my  hand  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
rid  of  him,  that  I  would  let  him  know,  upon  which  turning 
on  his  heel,  and  thereby  averting  from  me  his  white  apron, 
— which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  observing  that  he  wore 
black  trowsers — ^he  darted  away  to  another  table.  '• 

*  Now,  although,  when  left  completely  to  myself,  I  knew 
perfectly  well  that  I  wanted  a  good  dinner, — indeed,  that 
with  malice  prepense  I  had  come  on  purpose  for  it, — ^yet,  on 
looking  into  the  encyclopaedia  of  dishes  he  had  laid  before 
me,  I  really  did  not  know,  and  I  therefore  felt  I  should  have 
considerable  difl&culty  in  letting  him  know,  "what  I  would 
desire  to  have."    It  was,  however,  a  vast  comfort  to  me  to 


!||iTvj^; 


*  For  five  francs  1 


■r$5W  •=!' 


<<iM 


•\\ 


CAFE  DE  FABIS,  "^ 

ifetfect,  as  I  laid  hold  of  the  important  voliiine,  that  I  was 
about  to  draw  tickets  in  a  lottery  composed  of  all  prizes 
land  no  blanks,  and  so,  without  fretting  on  the  f.ubject,  I 
tapped  my  table  gently,  and  when  ray  waiter,  obeying  the 
summons  as  readily  as  if  it  had  been  his  own  dinner-bell, 
stood  erect  before  me,  I  pointed  to  some  description  of  soup ; 
"Bien,  Monsieur  !"*  he  replied  ; — to  an  odd- named  fish  •,  "  bien, 
Monsieur  I ;" — to  cutlets  of  apparently  an  extraordinary 
nature  ;  "  Ibien,  Monsieur  ! ;" — and  lastly  pointing  to  some- 
thing I  considered  would  he  pastry,  I  then,  looking  as  if  I 
had  been  born  in  the  room,  closed  the  book. 

"  Tres  bien,  Monsieur  !"t  said  my  attendant,  making  me  a 
slight  bow,  and  then  carrying  off  the  volume  to  its  temporary 
resting-place. 

As  I  had  now  delivered  my  judgment,  and  had  nothing  to 
do  but  to  await  the  execution  of  the  delightful  sentendb  I  had 
passed  upon  myself,  I  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  quietly  looking 
about  me.  Bound  a  small  table  at  my  right  sat  three  french- 
men, with  beards  black,  blacker,  and  blackest;  on  my  left 
three  smooth-chinned  modest-looking  English  young  ladies, 
with  their  husbands,  or,  with  what  among  travellers  is  gener- 
ally termed,  their  cousins.  In  the  fore  and  back  ground  of 
the  picture  there  continually  crossed  and  recrossed,  in  various 
directions,  and  at  various  angles  with  the  equator,  a  number 
of  respectable,  attentive,  well-behaved  waiters,  of  from  twenty- 
five  to  forty-five  years  of  age,  with  hair  plastered  by  oil  close 
to  the  head,  in  white  neckcloths,  and  otherwise  dressed  as  I 
have  described.  Among  them  there  occasionally  appeared  a 
being  o^  a  higher  order,  distinguished  by  a  black  apron.  This 
personage  was  altogether  above  bringing  in  books,  dishes, 
changing  plates,  or  wiping  forks.  His  sole,  serious,  and  im- 
portant duty  was  to  deliver  to  the  occupier  or  occupiers  of 
each  table  whatever  wine,  through  the  medium  of  the  common 
white-aproned-waiter,  had  been  required  from  him;  and  he 

I  not  only  brought  it,  but  with  great  dignity  uncorked  it ;  and 

in  the  case  of  its  being  champagne,  or  wine  that  required  to 
he  cooled,  I  observed  that,  as  carefully  as  a  young  mother 
lays  her  first  infant  in  its  cradle,  he  placed  it  on  ice,  almost 

4  horizontally,  in  a  wooden  frame  resembling  a  ship  gun-carriage, 


/" 


Good,  Sir  I 


f  V«ry  good,  Sir  I 


4a 


\s 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


the  neok  of  the  bottle  being  elevated,  as  nearly  as  I  oould 
guess,  at  an  angle  of  about  ten  degrees. 

As  dishes  upon  dishes,  with  hurried  steps,  were  brought  to 
the  numerous  tables  of  the  octagonal  paradise  in  which  I  was 
seated,  the  buzz  of  conversation  very  sensibly  increased,  be- 
sides which  the  human  mouth,  like  a  regiment  at  review,  went 
through  all  its  most  difficult  movements.  Sometimes  it  ate  a 
good  deal ;  then  it  drank  a  little;  then  it  smiled ;  then  it  ate 
a  little  more ;  then  it  talked  humorously ;  then  it  drank  off  a 
glass  of  champagne ;  then  in  a  serious  tone  it  called  out 
*'  GAR90N  t"  *  then  it  sipped ;  and  then  talked  much  more  ve- 
hemently than  before. 

While  my  French  companions,  especially  the  three  with 
black  beards,  which  at  every  movement  of  their  mouths  kept 
irregularly  vibrating,  were  munching,  drinking,  or  expounding, 
something  which  appeared  almost  invariably  to  end  through 
the  nose ;  shoulders,  in  all  directions,  began  to  shrug,  hands 
began  to  act,  and,  as  if  in  spite  of  ice,  faces  gradually  became 
pinkish — ^pink, — ^red — redder, — ^hot  and  hotter.  Indeed  even  \ 
the  three  young  English  ladies'  lips  looked,  I  thought,  a  very 
little  warmer ;  and  although  for  tne  life  of  me  I  could  not 
perceive  within  the  little  octagonal  room  any  additional  cause 
for  merriment,  for  some  reason  or  other  they  certainly  did 
giggle  much  oftener  than  at  first.  Indeed  I  was  beginning  to 
think  whether  the  gentleman  in  the  black  apron  ought  not  to 
have  iced  the  wine-drinkers  instead  of  the  wine,  when  my  re- 
flections, all  of  a  sudden,  came  to  an  end.  My  mind  must 
surely  have  had  a  fit  of  apoplexy ;  for  I  remember  nothing 
further  that  occurred,  except  that  I  found  myself  placidly,  and . 
in  good  fellowship  with  all  men,  lapping  up  with  a  spoon  some 
very  nice  soup,  which  had  scarcely  vanished  when  I  became 
the  proprietor  of  some  turbot,  which,  I  rather  believe,  by  some 
accident  must  have  been  ground  to  death  in  a  mill.  The  com- 
position, however,  waa  njiost  excellent.  In  due  time  I  was 
nourished  with  cutlets  luxuriously  floating  in  the  essence  of 
asparagus ;  and  at  last  came  my  *'  tart,"  which  turned  out  to 
be  a  small  pastry  bandbox,  with  a  handsome  lid,  full  of  cocks- 
combs, beautifully  serrated  and  plaited,  with  a  variety  of  odd- 
looking  things,  of  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  consistency.  In 
fact,  there  must  have  been  a  little  of  every  delicacy  in  creation; 


♦Waiter  I 


/( 


■\^ 


PLACE  DE  LA  BASTILLK 


49 


and  the  dish  would  have  been  a  oomplote  and  most  exocUeni 
dinner.  Not  wishing  to  appear  eccentric,  I  ordered  u  pint  of 
champagne,  and  observing,  when  I  had  dismissed  m v  tart,  that 
when  I  took  the  little  bottle  from  its  icy  bed,  and  tilted  it  up, 
it  seemed — although  to  my  knowledge  I  had  really  done  no- 
thing to  offend  it — rather  disposed  to  decline  to  hold  any  fur* 
thcr  communication  with  the  glass  beneath  it,  I  tapped  my 
table,  and  as  soon  as  the  gentle  sound  brought,  as  it  instantlv 
did  bring,  a  waiter's  face  close  to  my  own,  i  asked  for  my  bill. 
While  it  was  preparing,  I  acknowledged  to  myself,  without 
hesitation,  that  I  had  very  much  enjoyed  all  I  had  seen,  all  I 
had  heard,  all  I  had  eaten,  and  all  1  ^had  drunk.  The  room, 
however,  was  so  over-lighted,  the  glare  from  the  lamps  and 
looking-glasses  was  so  oppressive,  the  feat  I  had  performed, 
and  the  feast  I  had  enjoyed,  were  altogether  so  un  suited  to 
the  fixed  regimen  of  my  life,  that,  as  I  had  now  not  only  wit- 
nessed but  had  assisted  in  the  process  of  dining  at  a  restaura- 
teur's at  Paris,  I  determined  I  would  not  do  so  again ;  and 
accordingly,  excepting  three  days  on  which  I  accepted  invita- 
tions of  ceremony  I  could  not  decline,  seated  at  an  open  -win- 
dow, I  dined  quietly  in  my  lodging  by  myself,  during  the 
whole  period  of  my  short  residence  in  the  bright,  gay,  and 
happy  metropolis  of  France. 


-•^^- 


iw  -i-l^i 


'Mm 


PLACE  DE  LA  BASTILLE* 


On  descending  from  an  omnibus  I  found  myself  in  a  large, 
long,  irregular,  uncomfortable-looking  open  space,  called  the 
Place  de  la  Bastille,  foi^nxed  by  the  junction  of  the  Quai  du 
Canal  St.  Martin,  of  the  Boulcvart  Beaumarchais,  of  the  Rue 
de  la  I^oquette,  Bue  de  St.  Antoine,  Eue  du  Faubourg  St. 
Antoine,  '^\\q  de  Charenton,  Rue  do  Lyon,  and  of  the 
ij^oujlevarts  iJourdon  and  Contrescarpe,  leading  to  the  Pont 
d'Austerlitz. 

At  the  point  of  concentration  at  which  all  these  cross-roads 
met,  I  saw  before  me  a  lofty  bronze  c.olumn,  surmounted  by  a 
perfectly  naked,  lengthy,  thin,  herring-stomached,  long-backed. 


60 


\s 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FBENOn  STICKS. 


flyinff-Meroury-looking  mountebank,  with  a  pair  of  wings  on  his 
shoulders,  the  whole  newly  gilt  all  over,  as  if  it  had  just  flown, 
and  for  a  moment — merely  to  take  in  wind — had  perched  there 
from  California. 

On  the  outsivlo  of  the  column,  from  the  bottom  to  the  top, 
in  three  strata,  each  representing  the  result  of  one  day's  vevo- 
lutionary  havoc,  were  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold,  so  smr.il  that 
at  a  few  feet  elevation  they  were  to  my  eyes  utterly  illegible,  a 
variety  of  names.  On  the  base  was  legibly  engraved  the  fol- 
lowing inscription,  which  briefly  told  me  the  whole  story  of  the 
column : — 

"Loi  du  13  D6cembre,  1880,  i 

Art.  13. 
Un  monumont  sera  consacr^  il  la  mSmoire 
Des  ^y^nemens  de  Juillet. 

Loi  du  9  Mars,  1833, 

Art  2. 

Ce  monument  sera  6rig6  sur  la  Place 

De  la  BaatUle."  *  i 

On  the  other  side  was  inscribed :— •  , 

"AlaGloire 

Des  Citoyens  Fran^ais,  u 

Qui  s'arm^rent  et  combattirent 

Pour  la  D6fen8e  des  Liberies  R^publiques 

Dans  les  m^morables  Journ^es 

Des  27,  28,  29  Juillet,  1830."  f 

The  monument  was  surrounded  on  all  four  sides  by  mas- 
sive iron  railings,  within  which,  at  the  foot  of  the  column  all 

♦  Extract  from  the  law  of  the  13th  December,  1830, 

Article  13.  * 

A  monument  shall  be  consecrated  to  the  memory 
Of  the  events  of  July.  ^ 

From  the  law  of  the  9th  March,  1833, 

Article  2. 

This  monument  shall  be  erected  on  the  Place 

Of  the  Bastille. 

t  To  the  Glory 
Of  those  French  Citizens  ' 

Who  armed  themselves  and  fought 
In  Defence  of  Republican  Liberty  -f 

;  During  the  memorable  Days  j  ^^J'jtsii;x| 

r    ..         •  Of  the  27,  28,  29  July,  1630.  •         '     "" 


PLACE  DE  LA  BASTILLE. 


5t 


the  way  round,  I  observed  a  confused  pile  of  faded  wreaths 
(immortelles)  and  of  branches  of  laurel,  the  leaves  of  which  had 
become  crisp  and  brown. 

Just  as  I  was  about  to  enter  the  door,  I  heard  some  steps 
heavily  descending,  and,  accordingly  waiting  for  a  few  moments, 
there  appeared,  first  the  balustrade  legs,  then  the  protuberant 
waistcoat,  and  at  last  the  warm,  intelligent  countenance  of  a 
brother  Englishman — who,  as  he  passed  me,  said,  laying  great 
emphasis  on  each  of  his  nouns  of  number, 

"  There  are  two  Awwdred  and  /orty-three  steps.  Sir  !  I've 
just  counted  'em !"  And  as  it  was  exactly  what  I  did  not 
want  to  do,  I  put  down  the  figures  hot  as  I  received  them,  and 
then,  ascending  a  well-staircase,  every  bright  brass  step  of  which 
rang  as  I  trod  on  it,  I  at  last  reached  the  summit,  and  for  some 
time,  absorbed  in  historical  recollections,  looked  down  upon  the 
spot  beneath,  where  the  Bastille  and  all  its  included  horrors 
had  once  existed.  . 

On  happening  to  cast  my  eyes  upwards,  I  almost  started  at 
the  appearance  of  the  great  gilt  strip-stark-naked  figure  just 
above  me.  It  was  certainly  beautifully  balanced.  His  whole 
person,  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  extremity  of  his 
pointed  toe,  which  almost  alone  rested  on  its  pedestal,  was  of 
bright,  glittering  gold.  His  long,  thin  neck  was  extended  ;  his 
wings  appeared  almost  to  flutter  on  his  back ;  and  as  an  equi- 
poise to  the  leg  extended  behind,  he  held  in  one  hand  a  broken 
chain,  in  the  other  a  burning  torch. 

Who  this  high-flown,  high-bred  personage  might  be — for 
besides  being  an  angel  he  was  evidently  a  gentleman — I  could 
not  exactly  divine  ;  and  for  several  minutes  I  had  been  thinking 
it  over  and  over,  or  rather  round  and  round,  as  I  descended 
towards  the  earth,  when,  on  reaching  the  bottom,  I  perceived 
before  me — no  doubt  he  had  purposely  placed  himself  in  that  ■ 
position — the  man  in  the  handsome  cocked  hat,  who  had  charge 
of  the  column.  Taking  oflf  my  humWe  round  one  to  hiii,  and 
at  the  same  moment  slipping  something  into  his  hand,  I  asked 
him  what  the  magnificent  statue  "  en  or,"  *  which  I  had  just 
been  admiring,  represented  ? 

"  Monsieur !"  ssrid  he,  with  an  extended  hand  and  with  a 
dignified  smile,  "  c'est  It  Genie  de  la  Liberte  !  "f  which,  I  sup- 


*  In  gold. 


f  Sir,  it  ia  the  genius  of  Liberty. 


5!S 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FEENCII  STICKS. 


pose,  said  I  to  myself,  as  I  rery  slowly  walked  away,  must 
Burely  mean — ^"  her  Ladyship's  present  husband." 


-•-•-•- 


HORSE  ESTABLISHMENT. 


I  WAS  on  the  point  of  asking  an  idle  man,  who,  like  myself, 
was  mooning  about  the  Place  do  la  Concorde,  where  I  should 
be  likely  to  find  a  fiacre,  when  I  observed  one  instinctively 
driving  towards  me.  It  was  one  of  those  little  rickety,  loose- 
jointed  quadrirotal  or  four-wheeled  buggies, — ^with  a  head, 
apron,  and  small  driving-box  in  front  containing  a  coachman  in 
a  black  glazed  hat,  and  blue  jacket  ornamented  with  a  bright 
silver  plaquet, — which  are  obliged  to  go  anywhere  within  the 
wide  world  of  Paris  for  22  sous. 

"  A  la  Barriere  do  Charenton  !"  said  I  to  the  driver,  who, 
without  making  any  other  answer  than  a  nod,  leant  back- 
wards, and,  putting  into  my  hand  a  little  card  of  the  size  and 

with  the  inscription  as  here  given,  we 
all  jogged  on  at  the  rate  of  about  four 
miles  an  hour.  The  horse,  for  fear  of 
the  whip,  did  not  dare  to  walk,  and 
would  not  trot  any  faster  without 
breaking  into  a  canter,  which  was  con- 
trary to  law ;  it  was  evidently  useless, 
therefore,  to  say  a  word  on  the  subject. 
However,  it  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  as 
all  I  wanted  was  to  be  permitted  now  and  then  to  look  about 
me,  and  new  and  then  to  think  a  little,  the  horse,  vehicle, 
and  driver  suited  me .  exactly.  I  was  now  in  one  of  the 
worst  parts  of  Paris,  and  it  was  impossible  to  help  observing 
that  almost  every  time  the  horse  nodded  his  head,  as  if,  by 
order  of  the  police,  he  were  counting  the  number  of  steps  he 
took,  the  prospect  on  each  side  of  me  became  a  little  more 
gloomy.  The  houses  became  frailer,  the  lime  appeared 
gradually  to  be  changing  into  mud,  slates  into  tiles,  iron 

.v^'^>    *  Keep  this  number  in  case  of  a  complaint. 


344 


Conscrver  co  num6ro  en 
cos  do  rdclamatiou.* 


t  / 


I  ,f 


/ 


nOliSK  ESTA  nUSHMENT. 


09 


ornamental  lamp-posts  into  plain  wooden  gibbets,  with  out- 
strctehod  horizontal  arms  about  four  feet  long,  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  which,  swinging  in  tlic  wind,  hung  an  inferior  de- 
scription of  lamp.  lu  looking  at  them  I  could  hardly  help 
shuddering,  so  clearly  did  they  explain  to  mo  the  horrid 
meaning  of  the  cry,  "A  la  lanterue!"*  which  had  been  the 
death-warrant  of  so  many  thousands  of  people.  Indeed,  if  I 
had  never  heard  of  such  a  cry,  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  me  to  have  driven  by  all  these  gibbets  without  noticing 
their  ghastly  appearance. 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  within  about  fifty  yards  of  the 
point  I  had  mentioned,  the  driver  pulled  gently  at  his  reins, 
the  horse  very  readily  stopped — in  fact,  wo  all  dtopped. 
Leaning  towards. the  driver,  I  paid  him  22  sous  ;  but  instead 
of  two  more  "pour  boiro"t — the  customary  gratification — I 
gave  him  five,  for  which  ho  expressed  himself  exceedingly 
grateful ;  and  I  was  thinking  how  very  little  gratitude,  friend- 
ship, or  good  fellowship  one  could  buy  in  London  for  three 
halfpence,  when  I  observed  a  douanier  glance  very  scrupu- 
1«    sly  at  my  pockets,  while  at  the  same  moment  his  com- 

{)anion,  opening  the  lid,  peeped  into  a  small  basket  in  the 
lands  of  a  poor  woman  walking  beside  mo.  In  short,  we 
were  passing  the  Barriere  do  Charenton,  at  which — as  at  all 
others  around  Paris — the  ofl&cers  of  the  octroi  examine  every- 
thing that  enters  or  goes  out  of  the  metropolis.  ^ 

Off  inquiry  I  found  that  the  great  stables  of  the  omnibus 
company  I  had  come  to  visit  were  within  a  hundred  yards, 
and  as  soon  as  I  reached  them  I  delivered  to  the  chief  of  the 
establishment  the  note  of  introduction  in  my  favour  which  M. 
Denault,  near  the  Jiarriere  of  the  Etoile,  had  been  so  obliging 
as  to  give  to  me. 

"  Vous  ^tes  Anglais,  Monsieur  ?|  said  he,  with  a  very 
friendly  smile,  as  if  an  answer  in  the  affirmative  would  be,  as 
it  evidently  proved,  pleasing  to  him.  He  then,  with  the  ut- 
most kindness,  took  me  over  every  portion  of  his  establiE^- 
ment :  hit,  stables,  infirmary,  forges,  supplies  of  water,  and 
storehouses  of  corn,  hay  and  straw. 

As  it  would  be  tedious  to  the  generality  of  my  readers 

*  Away  with  him  to  the  lamp-post  I  f  Drink-money.  ' 

X  Ai-e  you  on  Englishman,  Su'? 


54 


A  FAGGOI  OF  FEENCH  STICKS. 


•    1 

I 


»        * 


were  I  to  repeat  the  details  I  witnessed,  but  which  to  me 
were  highly  interesting,  I  will  briefly  state  that,  of  263 
horses  under  his  care,  200  were  males,  there  not  being  a 
single  mare  within  the  building ;  that  the  stables,  instead  of 
containing,  as  at  the  Barriere  de  I'Etoile,  only  20  horses, 
held  each  from  40  to  50 ;  that  they  were  well  ventilated ; 
that  the  horses  were  separated  in  couples  by  swinging  bails  ; 
that  thoy  were  fed  together  in  pairs  with  oats  five  times 
a-day  ;  that  at  night  they  had  as  much  hay  as  they  could  eat, 
with  straw  in  the  day  "  pour  s'amuser ;"  *  that  each  horse 
usually  worked  from  15  to  16  miles  per  day  (the  horses  of 
the  Paddington  omnibuses,  at  greater  speed,  go  only  eleven 
miles  per  day);  that  one  man  was  required  to  look  after 
eight,  and  also  to  clean  their  harness  ;  and  that  by  other  men 
the  carriages  were  washed  every  day.  Lastly,  that  the  sums 
paid  by  each  passenger  are  as  follows  : — between  any  points 
within  the  barriers  of  Paris,  6  sous,  with  four  additional  if 
taken  to  places  beyond  the  barriers.  On  Sundays  the 
latter  charge  of  4  is  increased  to  6,  the  former  charge  remain- 
ing the  same. 

The  establishment  at  the  Barriere  de  Charenton  in  all 
main  points  was  very  creditably  kept.  On  the  whole,  how- 
ever, the  horses  were  inferior  to  those  working  at  the  west 
end ;  indeed,  although  their  health  and  comforts  were  essen- 
tially attended  to,  the  locality  seemed  to  authorize  less 
attention  to  outward  appearances. 

"While  I  was  looking  at  the  st'rd,  I  asked  the  chief  super- 
intendent what  became  of  the  company's  horses — as  they  did 
not  sell  them — ^when  no  longer  capable  of  public  service ;  and 
as  he  gave  me  the  same  answer  I  had  received  from  M. 
Denault,  namely,  that  they  were  usually  sent  to  the  horse- 
slaughterers,  called  "  6quarrisseurs,"  at  a  considerable  distance 
in  the  Plaine  des  Vertus,  I  begged  he  would  give  me  a  note 
of  introduction,  that  I  might  ascertain  what  was  the  real 
conclusion  of  their  career.  He  readily  complied  with  my 
request,  and  accordingly,  after  thanking  him  for  his  great 
kindness,  I  managed  to  find  another  four-wheeled  carriage, 
in  which  I  drove  off. 


n 


*  To  amuse  themselves  with* 


-«  tE»-  -V  0 


A    I 


THE  EQUAEBISSEUB, 


55 


THE  fiQUARRISSEUE. 


rge  remain- 


As  we  proceeded,  the  houses  of  the  environs  of  Paris  rery 
&00U  began  to  turn  into  small  -habitations,  dead  walls,  and  at 
last  altogether  to  die  away.  The  road  also  appeared  gradu- 
ally to  be  losing  its  senses,  and  to  stagger  as  if  it  had  no  idea 
at  all  where  it  was  going  to;  and  as  I  also  was  destitute  of  any 
knowledge  on  the  subject,  I  remained  passive,  excepting  now 
and  then  when,  in  going  over  lumps  of  loose  Stones,  which  ap- 
peared exceedingly  disposed  to  upset  us,  I  deemed  it  neces- 
sary with  extended  arms  to  hold  on  to  each  side  of  the  car- 
riage. In  about  half  an  hour  we  drove  through  a  temporary 
passage  in  the  masonry  of  tb3  escarp  of  the  line  of  fortifica- 
tions which  surrounds  the  metropolis;  and  here,  for  a  few  mi- 
nutes, I  descended  from  the  carriage. 

The  fortified  line  of  enceinte  round  Paris,  which  has  caused 
so  much  observation  and  discussion,  is  composed  of  a  rampart, 
ditch,  covered  berm  (broad  enough  to  be  manned  by  skir- 
mishers, or  riflemen),  and  raised  glacis,  as  accurately  as  I 
could  measure  them — ^which  any  person  is  allowed  to  do— of 
the  following  dimensions : — 

Feet. 
Height  of  the  masoniy  of  the  escarp,  above 

which  is  an  earthen  parapet         .        .     '  88 
Breadth  of  the  ditch  from  66  to  ^        .     160 

Height  of  crest  of  glacis  above  the  bottom  of 
the  ditch  ......      26 

The  masonry  of  the  escarp  is  so  well  covered  in  front  that 
it  would  evidently  be  impossible  to  breach  it  from  a  distance; 
and  the  enceinte,  being  a  bastioned  line,  is  in  every  part  tho- 
roughly well  flanked ;  besides  which  its  extent  is  so  great  that, 
practically  speaking,  it  possesses  almost  the  advantage  of  be- 
ing a  straight  interminable  front,  which,  of  course,  would  pre- 
vent an  enemy  from  enveloping  its  works  for  the  purpose  of 
enfilading  them. 

The  counterscarp  ha;?  not  been  riveted ;  and  thus  not  only 
has  a  great  expense  been  saved,  but,  as  the  army  of  defence 


f 


m 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCIl  STICKS. 


would  always  be  on  a  very  large  scale,  the  slope  upwards  to  tbe 
covered  berm  and  crest  of  the  glacis  would  enable  columns  of 
troops  of  10,000  or  20,000  men  to  make  sorties  on  extended 
fronts  from  the  ditch,  which  would  again  afford  them  most 
easy  and  convenient  shelter  if  repulsed.  The  passage  through 
the  enceinte  for  the  highroads  (similar  to  that  in  which  my 
carriage  was  standing)  would,  of  course,  have  proper  gates^ 
barriers,  and  loopholed  defences  applied  whenever  there  ap- 
peared any  probability  of  their  being  required,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  works  would  be  armed. 

The  fortifying  of  Paris  is  generally  acknowledged  to  have 
been  lEt  very  judicious  measure,  and  in  this  opinion  I  quite 
(JOnonr. 

Wars  will  hereaftei^  be  more  likely  to  be  made  by  coali- 
tions than  formerly,  and  France  more  than  any  other  country 
likely  to  be  attacked  by  a  powerful  coalition.  The  armies  of 
the  Continent  of  Europe  are  much  larger  than  they  used  to 
be  ;  and  from  these  facts  combined  it  is  undeniable  that 
France  may  be  assailed  by  400,000  or  SOOjC^O  men  at  once. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  old  lines  oi'  t  ^  i 'er-fortresses 
would  not,  as  they  were  intended,  afford  the  ..  ^r  ;*oe  of  check- 
ing the  enemy  at  the  threshold  for  months,  oecause  he  would 
have  forces  enough  to  mask  or  watch  them,  as  also  his  com- 
munications, and  to  make  a  dash  at  the  capital  with  100,000 
or  150,000  troops,  as  was  done  in  1814,  and  again  after  Wa- 
terloo, and  as,  on  similar  principles  of  his  own  originating, 
Napoleon  did  in  1809  and  1812,  &o. 

Besides  this-,  the  frontiers  of  France,  by  the  peace  of  1815, 
have  been  left  comparatively  open,  as  regards  the  covering  by 
fortresses,  and  thus  all  the  studies  and  labours  of  Yauban, 
Louis  XIV.,  and  Bonaparte,  have  been  completely  annulled. 

If  Paris,  therefore,  could  be  made  defensible,  so  as  to 
afford  time,  before  it  were  taken,  to  give  to  the  government  ar 
chance  of  re-organising  new  armies,  and  of  then  acting  upon 
the  more  extended  lines  of  operations  of  the  invader,  it  would 
more  than  replace  the  advantages  of  the  frontier-fortresses,  in- 
asmuch as  the  movements  against  it  would  be  much  more  diffi- 
cult to  support,  and  consequently  much  more  dangerous  to 
attempt. 

^i  The  practicability  of  giving  to  Paris  sufficient  defensive 
pQ:TerB  depends  upon  two  things :—  .j^^  ^.^^^.^  ,^^  ^  ^^ 


THE  EQUABBISSEUB, 


57 


1st,  On  its  fortifications  being  compact,  and  with  ground 
around  them  favourable  in  form,  and  in  freedom  from  build* 
ings,  enclosures,  &o. 

AH,  which  are  peculiarly  the  case  at  Paris. 

2nd,  On  the  constant  presence  of  a  garrison  sufiicient  in 
numbers  and  quality,  without  trenching  upon  the  strength  of 
the  regular  army 'for  the  field, — 

Which  is  found  in  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  ^National 
Guards,  who,  under  a  certain  military  organization,  are  well 
armed,  equipped,  and  accustomed  to  turn  out  and  take  ordina^ 
nary  military  duties ;  and  although  they  would  be  very  infe- 
rior as  a  manoeuvring  army  in  the  field,  yet  backed  by  all  the 
resources  of  Paris  and  the  greater  part  of  the  population,  in- 
cluding the  RcA}le  Polytechnique  and  d<ives  of  all  sorts,  who, 
for  some  unaccountable  reason,  in  battles  in  Paris  always 
seem  to  take  the  lead — they  would  form  an  excellent  garrisou 
in  a  fortress. 

In  France  all  military  nien  seem  to  agree  in  the  propriety 
of  fortifying  Paris,  and  the  details  of  the  execution  of  the 
"  enceinte  contintie"  are  certainly  extremely  well  adapted  to 
the  circumstances  and  object.  The  main  foundation  is  laid, 
and  seems  to  be  carefully  maintained ;  the  filling  up,  by 
planting  artillery,  fixing  a  few  barrier-gates  and  palisadings, 
and  establishing  some  outworks  in  earth,  would  be  readily 
added  where  most  required,  and  the  whole  would  b  ethen  most 
formidable. 

The  only  discussion  of  any  importance  has  been  against 
the  detached  forts ;  and  that  has  been  raised  by  the  ultra- 
republican  party  entirely  on  political  grounds.  They  foresee 
that  these  forts  would  act  as  citadels  to  repress  popular  insurr 
rections.     This  they  would  certainly  help  to  do, — 

1st,  By  securing. arms,  ammunition,  and  military  means, 
&c.,  from  the  insurgents.  , 

2ndly,  By  keeping  the  troops  separatad  from  the  people. 

3rdly,  By  placing  small  numbers  i  nsecurity  to  hold  posi- 
tions, containing  prisons  for  safely  guarding  political  offend 
ers,  &c.  These  advantages  the  Red  Republicans,  of  course, 
deprecate ;  but,  constitutionally  speaking,  ought  the  stability 
of  even  a  Republican  government  to  exist  at  the  mercy  of  any 
sudden  popular  effort,  founded,  perhaps,  on  a  delusion  or  fal- 
lacyj  and  always  leading  to  absolute  anarchy  ?     And,  again, 


08 


A  FAi^GOT  OF  FRENCH  tSTlCKS. 


could  these  forts  really  impede  any  well-considered  reform 
that  the  public  generally  desired  ? 

The  ultra  party,  in  their  efforts  to  gain  their  point,  have 
endeavoured  to  show  that  the  detached  forts  of  Paris  have 
been  constructed  on  faulty  principles,  even  as  a  means  of  de- 
fence against  a  foreign  enemy ;  but  I  believe  it  is  generally 
admitted  they  are  decidedly  wrong ;  for  there  cannot  be  a 
doubt  but  that,  when  considered  only  in  a  military  point  of  view, 
they  would  afford  a  very  important  support  to  the  lines  of 
circumvallation  around  Paris,  besides  forcing  an  enemy  to 
keep  at  a  greater  distance,  and  to  extend  to  a  greater  degree 
his  communications. 

It  would  no  doubt  be  necessary  that  these  detached  forts 
should  be  garrisoned  by  good  troops  ;  still  they  need  not  be 
all  from  the  most  efficient  regulars ;  invalides,  pensioners,  gend- 
armes, and  other  old  soldiers^  who  must  always  be  in  Paris, 
might  form  the  bulk  of  them,  the  remainder  being  composed 
of  the  National  Guard.  .    •      •  id 

With  respect  to  the  continued  lines — "  enceinte  continue" 
J — around  Paris,  it  may  be  said  that  even  the  large  body  of 
National  Guards  would  n9t  be  sufficient  fully  to  map  their 
numerous  bastions,  &c.,  &c. ;  but  it  must  be  recollected  that 
Paris  could  not  in  such  a  case  by  possibility  be  attacked,  or 
even  threatened^  all  round.  It  could  only  be  attacked  or  se- 
riously threatened  by  a  very  large  force  ;  and  such  a  one 
could  not  be  moved  round  by  stealth,  but  would  require  day& 
to  be  transported  from  one  side  to  another,  while  the  garrison 
would  make  counter-movements  in  ho'urs ;  therefore  at  least 
two-thirds  or  three-fourths  of  the  garrison  would  be  on  the 
sides  liable  to  be  attacked. 

There  exists,  however,  one  consideration  that  would,  of 
course,  affect  the  whole  question  of  the  permanency  of  the 
organization  of  that  National  Guard  on  which  the  whole  de- 
fence depends. 

The  army,  and  the  ultra  advocates  for  order  and  for  a 
strong  government,  under  the  plea  that  the  National  Guard 
has  been  the  pivot  on  which  all  the  popular  movements  have 
turned,  would  be  very  desirous  of  disbanding  and  abolishing 
it,  but  it  may  be  presumed  they  are  little  likely  to  succeed. 

On  passing  through  the  cutting,  the  magnificent  plain  be- 
fore me  appeared  not  only  admirably  adapted  for  the  purposes 


THE  EQUABBiaSEUB. 


m 


of  war  but  for  the  blessings  of  peace :  a  more  perfect  level  of 
rich  land  can  scarcely  be  beheld ;  indeed,  the  verdure  was  al- 
most too  luxuriant. 

My  enjoyment,  however,  of  this  scene  was  somewhat  in- 
terrupted by  the  driver  stopping  the  carriage  at  a  point  where 
the  road  on  which  we  travelled  branched  into  two  crooked 
paths,  first  at  one  Of  which,  and  then  at  the  other,  he  kept 
turning  his  face,  evidently  showing  he  did  not  know  which  to 
select.  As,  however,  on  that  on  the  left  I  perceived  a  man 
approaching  us  on  horseback,  I  desired  him  to  drive  along  it, 
and  wh«n  we  met  our  fellow  traveller  I  learned  from  him  with 
much  pleasures^(to  the  driver,  who  was  employed  by  the  hour, 
it  probably  did  not  so  much  matter)  that  we  were  not  only 
^'  all  right,"  but  with  his  hand  he  pointed  out  to  us,  at  a  con- 
siderable distance,  some  low  buildings  containing  the  chim- 
ney of  a  steam-engine,  and  surrounded  by  a  wall,  which  he 
informed  me  was  the  place  I  was  seeking. 

On  reaching  the  great  entrance  gate,  I  perceived,  seated  on 
the  ground,  four  or  five  exceedingly  pretty  children ;  and  on 
the  driver  ringing  the  bell,  there  came  out  and  up  to  me  a 
young  woman,  whose  clean  appearance  and  pleasing  counten- 
ance I  certainly  had  not  expected  to  find  within  so  solitary, 
and,  from  the  ideas  connected  with  it,  so  gloomy  an  abode.  On 
receiving  my  note  she  said  she  would  go  and  look  for  the  su- 
perintendent;  in  the  meanwhile,  as  she  begged  f  would  walk 
in,  I  entered  the  gate,  and  turning  to  the  right,  proceeded  by 
myself  about  fifty  yards,  until  I  came  to  a  scene  that  arrested 
me. '  Before  me  was  a  mass  of  about  50  yards  of  motionless 
and  moving  substances.  The  former  were  the  carcases  of 
horses,  at  the  furthermost  end  in  their  hides, — nearer  just 
skinned, — nearer  still  headless, — and  close  to  me  divided  into 
limbs.  Among  this  mass  of  skulls,  bones,  limbs,  and  dull 
flabby  skins,  stooping  and  standing  in  various  attitudes,  were 
the  men  who  were  performing  these  various  operations ;  and 
as,  in  point  of  colour,  their  dresses  assimilated  with  their 
work,  it  was,  as  I  have  stated,  difficult  at  the  first  glance  to 
discover  the  living  from  the  dead. 

In  front  of  this  strange  scene,  and  immediately  before  me, 
were  two  rather  ill-looking  men  with  mustachios  and  beards, 
each  employed  at  a  separate  stone  table  in  skinning  a  dead 
dog. 


^^  A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 

^  What !  do  you  kill  dogs  here  ?"  said  1, 8ddir«8Biiig  myself 
to  these  men. 

"  Oh  oui !"  said  the  worst-lookiDg  of  them,  "  toute  sorte 
d'animaux  I"  *  and,  after  a  pause,  without  once  having  raised 
his  eyes  to  look  at  me,  he  addedj  as  he  sliced  away,  *'  m6me 
d'humains  i"  f 

It  was  the  only  impolite  answer  I  received  in  France,  andj 
as  I  knew  pretty  well  how  to  deal  with  it,  I  said  very  gravely, ' 
^  Et  les  femmes,  vous  les  tuez  aussi  ?"  % 

The  man  instantly  stopped  skinning,— booked  up,— grinned, 
—-his  comrade  grinned  too, — and  we  were  all  friends.  They 
informed  me  that  the  dogs  they  were  skinning  had  been  sent 
by  the  police  of  Paris,  who  take  summary  possession  of  any 
^at,  especially  in  hot  weather^  are  found  wandering  about 
without  masters. 

Although  the  soene  l^efore  me  was  undeniably  a  strange 
one,  it  was  neither  what  I  cared  for  nor  what  I  had  come  for ; 
and,  as  it  was  the  condition  of  the  poor  living  horses,  and  not 
the  disposition  of  the  carcases  or  bones  of  dead  ones,  for  which 
I  felt  any  interest,  I  asked  the  man  who  had  given  me  the 
sulky  answer  if  he  would  lio  me  the  favour  to  conduct  me  over 
the  establishment,  which^  no  doubt  with  the  knowledge  that  I 
was  '^  Anglais,"  &  he  readily  consented  to  do.  Accordingly,  at 
my  request,  he  led  me  to  a  portion  of  the  yard  about  fifty 
yards  off,  wtftre  I  found  standing,  tied  up  to  a  strong  rail,  the 
three  horses  next  to  be  slaughtered.  The  hair  of  their  manes 
lind  tails  was  cut  close  off;  at  a  slight  glance  at  their  flanks  I 
at  once  saw,  however,  all  I  was  anxious  to  ascertain,  namely, 
that  they  were  full  of  food.  What  were  their  disorders,  of 
lungs  or  limbs,  whether  they  were  broken-winded  or  incurably 
lame,  were  facts  I  did  not  care  to  investigate ;  but  there  is 
something  so  revolting  in  the  idea  of  allowing  a  poor  horse, — 
our  willing  servant  of  all  work, — to  suffer  in  his  last  moments 
from  the  pangs  of  hunger,  that,  considering  the  lonely  spot  in 
which  we  stood,  I  own  I  felt  relieved  as  well  as  rejoiced  to  see 
what  I  have  described.  The  man  informed  me  that,  under  the 
supervision  of  an  agent  of  police,  who  resides  in  the  establish'* 


*  Oh  yes  f  all  aorta  of  animals. 
+  Human  brings  as  welL 
1  Aud  women,  do  you  kill  item  too  ? 
§  An  Englishman. 


^-     Tun  POOR  OF  PABJS. 


6f 


ment— wbioli  had  l)een  oonstrtioted  by  a  oompaiiy,  and  irhich 
in  thirty-one  years  will  belong  to  Paris — the  animals  sent  to 
be  slaughtered  are,  except  under  particular  circumstances,  not 
allowed  to  be  kept  alive  above  twenty-four  hours ;  indeed,  they 
are  generally  killed  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  That,  during 
the  time  they  are  alive,  horses,  cows,  and  bullocks,  receive  one 
"  botte"  of  bay  per  day ;  asses  and  mules,  half  a  "  botte." 
That  dogs  and  cats  arb  usually  killed  by  the  police,  and  seni 
merely  to  be  skinned.  '*' 

A  few  yards  off  on  my  right  was  a  large  heap  of  horses* 
feet,  auc  ">,;■  ^  observed  most  of  them  had  shoes  on,  I  inquired 
the  reason.  "  Ah !"  said  the  man,  very  gravely,  "  o'est  qu'ils 
Ont  appartenu  h,  des  personnes  qui  ne  s'amusent  pas  hi  les  d6- 
ferrer."* 

He  then  conducted  me  to  a  covered  building,  where  thii' 
bodies  of  the  horses  are  boiled,  and  in  which  are  steam  presses, 
to  extract  "I'huile  de  cheval/'  f  after  which  is  made  Prussian 
blue,  the  residue  being  sold  as  manure;  in  the  adjacent 
building  there  stood  a  number  of  casks  full  of  the  oil  ex- 
tracted. 

•  •• ra. 


THE  POOB  OF  PARIS. 


1^  France  so  much  has  been  said  and  sung,  so  much  written 
in  ink  and  in  blood,  about  liberty,  fraternity,  and  equality,  that 
on  my  arrival  at  Paris  I  might  have  expeci;ed  to  find  that  the 
innumerable  gradations  into  which  society  in  England  and 
elsewhere  is  divided  had  been  swept  away ;  that  in  the  French 
metropolis  wealth  had  no  mountains,  poverty  no  valleys,  but 
that  the  whole  family  of  mankind  were  living  together  on  a 
"pays  bas," — on  one  common  level.  The  first  hatter's  shop  \ 
came  to,  however,  very  clearly  explained  to  me  that  the  advo- 
cates of  "  equality"  have  preached  infinitely  more  than  they 
have  practised. 

In  one  window,  in  the  Hue  St.  Honors,  and  within  a  hun- 

*  Ah !  it  18  because  they  belonged  to  people  who  did  not  care  about 
(literally,  '<  ^ho  ^id  not  amuse  themselves  by")  taking  tlie  shoes  ofL 
f  Hoi'se-oil. 


62 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


dred  yardd  of  my  lodging,  I  beheld,  the  very  first  morning  I 
left  t,  citizens' hats  of  various  prices;  cooked  hats,  helmets, 
and  shakos,  of  various  grades ;  and,  finally,  servants'  hats, 
finer,  if  possible,  than  all.  Several  had  not  only  bands  of 
broad  silver  or  gold  lace,  but  either  the  edges  were  broadly 
trimmed  with  the  same  costly  material,  or  the  hat  was  orna- 
mented vrith  four  rich  silver  cords  from  brim  to  crown,  termi- 
nating in  a  fine  gilt  button.  There  were,  also,  for  the  pos- 
tilions of  the  republic,  jockey  caps  of  superfine  blue  cloth, 
ornamented  by  a  oroad  silver  band,  containing  a  gold  stripe  in 
the  centre. 

In  the  principal  streets,  and  especially  in  the  Avenue  of 
the  Champs  Elys6es^  are  to  be  seen,  during  the  hours  of  fash- 
ionable resort,  every  description  of  carriage,  from  four-in-hand 
chariots,  and  barouches,  driven  by  coachmen  in  wigs  with  two 
tiers  of  curls,  and  bearing  coronets  of  different  ranks,  down 
to  the  citadine  containing  a  whoY^*  family,  who  have  probably 
hired  it  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of       hour's  drive. 

In  rumbles  behind  I  often  saw  two  footmen  in  splendid 
liveries,  with  bouquets  of  flowers  in  their  breasts,  sitting  "  a 
I'Anglaise,"  in  mute  silence,  with  folded  arms,  terminating  in 
milk-white  gloves. 

On  nearly  every  barouche-box  is  to  be  seen,  beside  the  coach- 
man, a  servant,  more  or  less  gaudy,  in  a  similar  attitude — the  fa- 
vourite folly  of  the  day.  As  these  carriages,  following  each 
other  in  line,  parade  or  vibrate  from  one  end  of  the  avenue  to 
the  other,  "  down  the  middle  and  up  again,"  they  pass  or  are 
passed  by  equestrians  in  every  known  costume.  Some  are 
so  padded  and  stuffed, — so  ornamented  with  fine  frills  in  their 
bosoms  and  beautiful  flowers  at  their  breasts, — have  such  little 
feet  and  such  small  fingers, — in  short,  are  altogether  so  fashiona- 
bly dressed,  that  one  hardly  knows  whether  thev  are  big  girls  or 
great  men.  Some  are  dressed  as  ''  cavaliers,"  in  complete  rid- 
ing costume,  others  in  shooting  coats,  a  few  in  uniform,  many 
in  blouses. 

On  the  boulevards  are  to  be  seen  at  all  times,  and  especially 
in  hot  weather,  enormous  crowds  of  people  seated  on  chairs,  or 
slowly  lounging  about,  apparently  with  no  business  to  perform, 
or  other  object  to  look  forward  to  than  to  get  rid  of  sultry  wea- 
ther, by  means  of  little  cups  of  coffee,  litUe  glasses  of  brandy, 
tobacco-smoke,  and  repose.    Of  this  crowd  a  proportion  are 


;/ 


THE  J'OOB  OF  FABIS. 


63 


men  who,  having  nourished  no  natural  attachments,  have  sold 
the  patrimony  they  inherited  for  a  small  annuity,  and,  like  the 
candles  at  a  Dutch  auction,  are  living  it  out,  Among  the 
mass  are  a  vast  number  of  people  who,  according  to  the  cus< 
tom  of  Paris,  have  got  off  their  two  or  three  children — ^not  one 
half  of  the  mothers  suckle  their  own  infants — by  sending  them, 
as  soon,  as  they  have  become  three  or  four  years  old,  for  eight 
or  ten  years  to  "  pensions  "  in  the  country,  where,  entirely 
weaned  from  parental  solicitude,  they  naturally  become  all  so- 
cialists. 

In  Paris  a  very  large  number  of  poor  people  associate  as 
man  and  wife  without  being  married  ;  and  what  is  particularly 
demoralizing  to  the  community,  the  generality  of  them  live 
together  very  happily. 

Now,  although  all  these  various  grades  of  society  and  dif* 
ferent  modes  of  existence  form  a  striking  contrast  to  the 
words  "  Liberty,  Fraternity,  and  Equality,"  which  on  every 
public  building,  and  on  most  of  the.churches  of  Paris,  are  to 
be  seen  inscribed  in  the  coarsest,  cheapest  description  of  black 
paint,  so  bad  that  it  must  evidently  m  a  very  fe^r  years  peel 
off,  crack  off,  or  by  rain  or  revolutions  be  washed  off;  yet,  in 
she  midst  of  varnished  carriages  with  coronets,  equestrians, 
pedestrians,  chairs,  little  tables,  coffee,  brandy,  and  tobacco- 
smoke,  I  was  constantly  asking  myself  this  important  question, 
"  Where  are  the  poor  ?" 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  the  same  question  had  been  in- 
truding itself  on  the  mind  of  Lord  Ashley;  and  as,  in  reply 
to  his  philanthropic  inquiries  on  the  subject,  Dr.  M'Carty, 
physician  to  the  British  Embassy  at  Paris,  a  gentleman  of 
great  ability  and  intelligence,  had  offered  to  conduct  him  to  a 
few  of  the  very  worst  and  poorest  parts  of  Paris,  I  gladly 
availed  myself  of  Lord  Ashley's  kind  invitation  that  I  should 
accompany  him.  Accordingly,  meeting  by  appointment  at 
Meurice's  hotel,  his  lordship,  Dr.  M'Carty,  and  myself,  one  af- 
ter another,  walked  up  the  crazy  steps  of  a  "  voiture  de  place," 
at  the  window  of  which,  as  soon  as  we  were  all  seated,  there 
appeared,  in  the  form  of  a  note  of  interrogation,  the  hat.  face, 
neckcloth,  and  waistcoat  of  the  driver. 

"  Au  March6  des  Patriarches,"*  replied  Dr.  M'Carty,  lean-  • 
ing  towards  him. 

.       *  To  the  Market  of  the  Fatriarchfil      ,     ..i. 


<^ 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


"  Bien,  Monsienr  !"•  said  our  conductor,  and  then,  Alotint- 
ing  his  box,  he  rumbled  us  along  the  magnificent  Bue  de  Riv- 
oil,  across  the  Place  du  Louvre,  close  to  the  beautiful  Gardens 
of  the  Luxembourg,  and  at  last  into  the  Rue  d'Enfer.f  Said 
I  to  myself,  as  I  read  its  name  at  the  corner  of  the  street, 
"This  looks  something  like  business."  From  thence  we  pro- 
ceeded along  several  clean  streets,  until  Dr.  M'Carty  observed 
t?o  us  that  we  were  approaching  our  object  The  words,  how- 
ever, were  hardly  out  of  his  month  before  we  rattled  by  a  nice 
small  plot  of  open  ground,  covered  with  trees.  I  was  so  anx' 
ions  to  arrive  at  zero,  that,  strange  to  say,  I  felt  quite  disap- 
pointed at  the  fresh  air  which  these  trees  seemed  to  enjoy,  and 
at  the  cool  agreeable  shade  they  created ;  and  I  had  not  re- 
covered from  this  feeling  when  the  carriage  stopped,  the  driver 
opened  the  door,  and  we  one  by  one  got  out.  As  we  stood  to- 
gether in  a  group,  I  fancied  we  all  looked  a  trifle  smarter  in 
our  dress,  and  that  the  watch-chains  in  some  of  our  waistcoat 
pockets  glittered  a  little  more,  than  when  we  had  entered  the 
Toiture  de  place  ;  but  as  no  change  could  have  come  over  us, 
the  difference  must  have  proceeded  from  our  being  now  in  a 
part  of  the  city  of  inferior  architecture,  inhabited  by  people 
whose  dress  at  once  proclaimed  them  to  belong  to  an  infinitely 
less  opulent  portion  of  the  community.  Still  everything 
and  everybody  I  saw  were  neatj  the  caps  of  the  women, 
whether  walking  in  the  streets,  standing  at  their  doors,  or 
within  their  shops,  were  fresh  and  white.  The  shirts  of 
the  men  were,  considering  it  was  Friday,  very  clean  too; 
but  as  we  followed  Dr.  M'Oarty,  what  struck  me  most  was, 
that  every  man,  woman,  and  child  we  met  was  habited  in  a 
national  costume,  expressive  of  his — I  must  not  in  a  republio 
say  rank,  but —  .  .  .  avocation.  The  gold  ear-rings,  particular- 
shaped  cap,  )r  handkerchief  twisted  round  the  bead,  was 
something  thai  the  wearer  seemed  not  only  authorised  to  carry, 
but  proud  to  call  her  own.  No  doubt  these  deceitful  orna- 
ments often  bloomed  over  an  aching  heart,  and  a  faint  stomach; 
and  there  might,  therefore,  I  felt,  exist  misery,  which,  as  a 
passing  stranger,  I  might  ba  incompetent  to  analyse,  and  con- 
seqoently  unable  to  detect. 

Before,  however,  coming  to  any  conclusion  on  the  subject, 
I  must  observe  that  there  existed  before  my  eyes  a  difference, 


♦Good,  Sir! 


t  Hell  Street. 


/■  I 


le  over  us. 


TEE  POOR  OF  PARIS.  ^ 

if  possible,  still  more  remarkable,  and  which  in  a  comparison 
between  the  poorest  parts  of  Paris  and  London  cannot  with 
fairness  be  overlooked.  In  London,  and  even  in  England, 
people  accustomed  from  their  infancv  to  that  moist  healthy 
climate  which  gives  verdure  to  animal  life,  red  and  white  roses 
to  the  cheeks  of  our  peasantry  and  to  those  of  their  lovely 
children,  are  really  not  aware  that,  under  all  circumstances, 
and  at  all  periods  of  the  year,  they  are  living,  in  the  country 
in  a  mist,  and  in  London  in  an  atmosphere  of  smoke,  of  more 
or  less  density.  It  is  true,  often  in  the  country,  and  even  in 
the  metropolis,  we  have  bright  sunshiny  days,  in  which  we  talk 
of  the  air  being  beautifully  clear ;  but^between  the  air  of  Eng- 
land and  of  Paris  there  is  as  much  difference  in  clearness  as 
between  the  colour  of  the  water  in  the  straits  between  Dover 
and  Calais  and  that  of  the  Atlantic  and  Paci^o  Oceans,  in 
which  the  blue  sky  of  heaven  appears  to  be  reflected. 

But  not  only  does  the  air  of  Paris  possess  a  clearness  I 
have  never  seen  exceeded,  or  scarcely  equalled,  in  any  other 
portion  of  the  globe,  bat,  from  the  absence  of  mist  and  smoke^ 
it  is  enabled'  to  receive,  and  it  evidently  does  contain,  infinitely 
more  light  than  can  possibly  find  room  to  exist  in  the  moist 
<'  half  and  half"  air  and  water  atmosphere  of  England.  In 
the  broad  streets,  in  the  great  sonares,  and  especialfy  from  the 
gritty  asphalt  pavement  of  the  Place  de  Concorde,  the  rever- 
beration of  a  superabundance  of  light  generates  green  goggles 
for  old  eyes,  crows'  feet  around  middle-aged  ones,  and  for  a 
few  moments  lowering  eyebrows,  even  above  young  ones.  But 
it  is  in  the  poorest  parts  of  Paris  this  remarkable  amount  of 
light,  of  dryness,  and  of  clearness  of  the  atmosphere,  are 
most  striking.  Indeed,  as  I  followed  Dr.  M'Carty,  I  remark- 
ed in  every  street  we  entered,  that,  as  far  as  the  eye  could, 
reach,  there  was  apparently  no  difference  whatever  between 
the  clear,  clean  air  on  the  pavement  and  that  of  the  heavens 
over  our  head.  Every  distant  moving  object,  every  carriage, 
every  horse,  every  man,  every  woman,  every  child,  every  dog, 
and  every  cat  that,  chased  by  the  dog,  scampered  across  the 
street,  was  as  clearly  visible  as  if  it  had  passed  close  to  us.  In 
fact,  the  air  was  so  clear  that  distance  appeared  unable,  as  in 
England,  to  dissolve  the  interesting  picture  which  every  street 
and  alley  we  entered  brought  to  view.  ^ 

As  in  the  case  of  the  difference  of  dress,  it  must,  however,' 


66 


A  FAQ  GOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


be  considered  that,  although  the  clearness  I  have  described 
gives  a  churm,  a  cheerfuluoss,  and  a  transcendent  boauty  to 
the  streets  of  Paris,  there  may,  and  I  believe  there  does,  lio 
lurking  within  it  an  amount  of  impurity  which,  although  it  be 
invisible,  renders  Paris,  on  the  wliole,  infinitely  less  healthy 
than  London.  Without  tracing  the  various  baa  smells  which 
proceed  from  almost  every  floor  of  almost  every  house  to  their 
impure  sources,  it  is  eviaent  that  in  the  aggregate  they  must 
contaminate  although  they  do  not  discolour;  and  it  is  no 
doubt  for  this  reason — from  the  continued  prevalence  of  this 
invisible  agent — in  fact,  from  inferior  sanitary  arrangements, 
and  especially  from  defective  drainage — that. 

While  the  comparative  mortality  of  the  population  of  Lon- 
don, exceeding  two  millions,  is  2-5  per  cent.,  the  mortality  of 
the  population  of  Paris,  rather  less  than  one  million,  is  3  3 
per  cent. 

Again,  while  the  ravages  of  the  cholera  in  London  were  in 
the  proportion  of  14-601  per  cent.,  in  Paris  they  were  15- 196 
per  cent. 

The  total  average  deaths  in  Paris  are  from  28,000  to 
30,000  annually,  which,  on  a  population  of  900,000,  gives 
about  1  in  30. 

The  deaths  in  London,  varying  from  1  in  28  in  White- 
chapel  to  1  in  56  in  Hackney,  average  for  the  whole  popula- 
tion 1  in  42 ;  that  is  to  say,  about  one-fourth  less  than  at  Pa- 
ris :  and  thus,  from  inferior  sanitary  arrangements,  there  die 
annually  in  clear  bright  Paris  about  7000  persons  more  than, 
out  of  the  same  amount  of  population,  die  in  smoky  London. 

But  although  I  summoned  these  statistics  into  my  mind 
to  prevent  it  being  led  astray  by  appearances  which  might  be 
deceitful,  yet  I  must  own  it  was  my  impression,  and  I  believe 
that  of  Lord  Ashley,  that  the  poverty  we  had  come  to  witness 
bore  no  comparison  whatever  to  that  recklessness  of  personal 
appearance,  that  abject  wretchedness,  that  squalid  misery, 
which — dressed  in  the  cast-oflf  tattered  garments  of  our  aris- 
tocracy and  wealthy  classes,  and  in  clothes  perforated  with 
holes  not  to  be  seen  among  the  most  savage  tribes — Ireland 
annually  pours  out  upon  England,  and  which,  in  the  crowded 
courts  and  alleys  of  London  I  have  so  often  visited,  produce 
among  our  own  people,  as  it  were  by  infection  which  no  moral 
remedy  has  yet  been  able  to  curOj  scenes  not  only  revolting  as 


?^--.'»'- 


.-U    .•■ 


n 

1]    - 


TII£  POOR  OF  FABia. 


67 


well  as  discreditable  to  human  nature,  but  which  are  to  be 
witncsHcd  in  no  other  portion,  civilized  or  uncivilized,  of  the 
globe. 

As  we  wore  anxious  to  get  into  the  interior  of  some  of  the 
poorest  of  the  houses  around  us,  we  entered  the  shop  of  a  cob- 
oler,  who  as  usual 

"liv'din  a  Btoll, 
Which  served  him  for  parlour,  kitchen,  and  all." 

The  poor  follow  was  not  only  very  indigent,  but  evidently  did 
not  like  "  rich  aristocrats,"  which  our  dress,  to  his  mind,  pro- 
claimed  us  to  be. — How  little  did  he  know  that  the  arch-aris- 
tocrat of  the  party  before  liim  was  an  English  nobleman,  who, 
regardless  <  f  the  alluremer  :s  of  rank  and  station,  had  laboured 
during  nearly  his  whole  life  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of 
those  beneath  him  ! — Accordingly,  as  be  sat  hammering  away, 
ho  gave  to  our  qaestious  very  short  ansisrers.  He  was  in  fact  a 
true  republican:  st!*»,  howe  r,  although  he  wanted  exceed- 
ingly to  get  rid  of  us,  he  d  '  not  use  towards  us  a  word  ap- 
proaching to  incivility  ;  ..u.l  I  moreover  observed  that,  what- 
ever might  be  hif  ^>r  verty  or  hw  principles,  he  wore  a  clean 
shirt,  and  was  oth.^rw  se  decently  dressed. 

In  passing  along  the  next  street,  we  entered  a  very  large 
house,  in  which  we  perceived  a  great  congr.  gation  of  women, 
all  busily  engaged,  each  at  her  tub,  in  washing.  Over  their 
heads,  and  the  steam  that  partially  enveloped  them,  there  hung 
from  a  rafter  a  large  tricolor  flag,  above  which  were  inscribed 
the  words — "  Vive  la  R^publique."* 

As  our  entrance  naturally  caused  some  little  sensation,  one 
of  our  party  endeavoured  to  allay  it  by  telling  a  stout  lady, 
who  had  evidently  the  charge  of  the  whole— what,  under  every 
circumstance,  is  alwavs  the  best — the  truth ;  namely,  that  we 
had  Wv  ^Ir/^d  in  to  see  her  establishment.  ? 

"  VVyjz  done,  Monsieur!"  said  the  stout  woman,  waving 
her  right  hand  successively  at  all  her  assistants ;  "  il  y  a  des 
jeunes  et  des  vieilles."  After  a  short  pause  she  added,  "  Vous 
eii  trouverez  qui  sent  jolies.     AUez  !"t 

Their  beauty,  however,  not  being  to  Lord  Ashley  or  any  of 

*  The  republic  for  ever !  ^ 

f  Look  over  it,  Sir ;  there  are  young  and  old.  You  wiU  find  among 
them  some  that  are  pretty.    Anuhl  vn:)a:ii*w-v 


^s 


68 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCIl  STICKS. 


ns  a  Subject  of  what  is  called  primary  importance,  we  venture  J 
to  make  a  few  statistical  inquiries  :  upon  which  the  lady,  evi- 
dently suspecting  that  our  object  must,  in  some  way  or  other, 
be  hostile  to  the  flag  under  which  she  presided,  suddenly 
became  so  exceedingly  cautious,  that,  excepting  seeing  that 
there  were  no  very  distressing  signs  of  poverty  in  her  estab- 
lishment— which,  indeed,  was  all  We  desired  to  ascertain — wo 
could  obtain  nothing  in  answer  to  our  queries  but  a  repetitioa 
of  the  words  "  Je  n'en  sais  rien,  Monsieur !  9a  ne  m'occupe 
pas  !"*  and  so  we  departed. 

As  in  the  locality  in  which  we  stood  we  had  failed  to 
find  any  of  those  painful  combinations  of  poverty  and  des- 
pair we  had  been  led  to  expect.  Dr.  M'Carty  was  kind 
enough  to  propose  to  go  with  us  in  search  of  them  to  another 
district  of  Paris,  commonly  called,  "  la  Petite  Pologne."  Here, 
however,  we  found  the  general  condition  of  the  poorer  classes 
in  no  way  worse  than  those  we  had  just  left.  On  entering  a 
large  house,  four  stories  high,  running  round  a  small,  square, 
hollow  court,  we  ascertained  that  it  contained  rather  more 
than  500  lodgers,  usually  grouped  together  in  families  or  in 
little  communities.  In  this  barrack  or  warren,  the  rooms, 
paved  with  bricks,  were  about  15  feet  long,  10  feet  broad, 
and  8  feet  high.  We  found  them,  generally  speaking,  cleaa 
and  well  ventilated,  but  the  charge  for  each  chamber  unfur- 
nished was  six  francs  per  month. 

Dr.  M'Carty  now  kindly  proposed  that  we  should  return 
to  the  rich  west  end  of  Paris,  to  the  most  miserable 'district 
in  that  portion  of  the  city.  Here  also  we  failed  to  meet  with 
anything  that  could  be  said  to  add  opprobrium  to  poverty. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  few  houses  we  entered  were,  no  doubt, 
existing  upon  very  feeble  subsistence,  but  in  every  case  they 
appeared  anxious  to  preserve  polite  manners,  and  to  be  clean 
in  their  dress.  In  the  Rue  du  Roche,  No.  2,  we  entered  a 
lodging-house  kept  by  a  clean,  pleasing-mannered  woman,  and 
as  all  her  lodgers  were  out  at  work,  we  walked  over  her  es- 
tabliishment.  The  rooms,  which  were  about  8  teet  7  inches, 
in  height,  contained  —  nearly  touching  each  other — from 
tliree  to  five  double  beds;  for  each  of  which  she  charged  10 
sous  per  night,  being  5  sous,  or  2^^.  for  each  sleeper  (in  Lon- 
.  ^/w»««  ^ii3  fir* .  .  I  < 

*  I  know  nothing  about  it,  Sir;  it  does  not  concern  nw!"-  ^-^ 


JABDJN  DES  PLANTES. 


69 


her. 


■\ 


1 


don  tlie  charge  is  usually  ^d.).  The  woman  told  us  that  to 
every  bed  she  allowed  clean  sheets  once  a  fortnight.  Each 
room  had  one  window,  and  we  found  every  one  in  the  house 
wide  open. 

Although  Dr.  M'Carty  had  now  shown  us  the  poorest  de- 
fscription  of  people  of  whose  condition  he  was  cognisant,  I 
have  no  doubt  that  an  agent  of  the  police  could  have  led  us 
to  scenes  of  greater  misery  than  those  I  have  described. 


•  •> 


jj^/90  ;i  fertif 


JARDIN  DBS  PLANTES. 


On  coming  out  of  the  Boulevart  de  I'Hopital  I  found  myself 
close  to  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  and  as  I  had  procured  an  or- 
dinary order  of  admission,  which  happened  to  be  in  my  pock- 
et-book, I  walked  into  it. 

The  politeness  which  distinguishes  the  French  nation  is 
not  only  retailed  by  every  citizen  of  Paris,  but  with  a  liber- 
ality which  merits  the  admiration  of  the  civilized  world,  is 
administered  wholesale  by  the  French  Government  to  every 
stranger  who  visits  their  metropolis.  For  instance,  the  mag- 
nificent cabinets  of  comparative  anatomy,  the  gallery  of  zoo- 
logy, the  specimens  contained  in  the  mineralogical  and  geo- 
logical galleries  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  are  only  open  to 
the  citizens  of  Paris  on  Tuesdays  and  on  Fridays ;  whereas 
any  traveller,  however  humble  his  station,  on  application  in 
writing,  or  by  merely  producing  his  passport  certifying  that 
he  is  a  stranger  in  the  land  of  a  great  nation,  is,  in  addition 
to  the  days  mentioned,  allowed  free  entrance  on  Mondays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays.  On  Wednesdays  the  collections 
are  closed  for  cleaning,  and  on  Sundays  no  person  is  admit- 
ted. Dogs  must  always  be  muzzled,  and,  to  prevent  mischief, 
they  are  not  allowed  in  any  instance  to  enter  that  portion  of 
the  grounds  in  which  the  loose  animals  are  kept. 

I  had  scarcely  entered  the  gardens  when  I  was  accosted 
by  a  short,  active  man  of  about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  with  a 
brown  face  and  an  arched  nose — it  arched  cqncavely,  snout* 
wise — who  in  a  few  words,  very  logically  explained  to  me — 


70 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


1st,  That  I  was  evidently  a  foreigner ;  ' 

2ndly,  That  being  a  foreigner  I  must  necessarily  be  total- 
ly ignorant  of  the  localities  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes ; 

3rdly,  that  being  ignorant  I  should  be  lost  in  the  intrica- 
cies of  its  curiosities ; 

4thly,  That  he  was  an  authorised  commissionaire ;  in 
short,  that  I  knew  nothing,  he  everything,  and 

Therefore  that  /  should  gain  infinitely  by  putting  my- 
self under  his  care. 

The  demonstration  was  so  complete,  that  by  the  utterance 
of  "Allons  done!"*  I  gruffly  consummated  the  alliance  he 
proposed ;  and  the  two  syllables  could  notj  I  am  sure,  have 
flown  twenty  yards,  before  I  and  the  brown-faced  man  with 
the  arched  nose  were  walking  together  rajbher  vigorously 
along  a  broad  path,  shaded  by  trees,  towards  the  gallery  of 
zoology. 

I  now  discovered— as  in  hasty  love  matches  has  but  too 
often  proved  to  be  the  case — that  my  guide  and  I  were  un- 
happily missuited  to  each  other,  and  the  consequence  was  we 
had  at  least  six  quarrels — or,  to  state  the  case  more  fairly,  he 
forced  me  to  quarrel  with  him  about  half  a  dozen  times — ^be- 
fore we  had  proceeded  a  hundred  yards.  The  subject  of  our 
dispute,  which  I  submit  to  the  unprejudiced  judgment  of  the 
reader,  was  as  follows.  I — looking  upon  the  man  -as  my 
slave,  and  recollecting  the  American  maxim  "  that  every  man 
has  an  undoubted  right  to  flog  his  own  nigger," — felt  I  was 
authorised  to  put  to  him  little  questions  as  fast  as  each,  one 
after  another, ,  Dubbled  up  in  my  mind  ;  but  every  time  I  at- 
tempted to  do  so,  and  before  I  had  got  out  three  words,  he  in- 
variably stopped  me  full  butt  by  advising  me  to  go  and  see 
the  animals  and  the  labyrinth,  for  reasons  which  I,  in  return, 
would  not  allow  him  to  utter.  In  fact,  just  as  a  new  member 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  who,  having  written  out  his  maiden 
speech,  and  learnt  it  by  heart,  cannot  deliver  himself  of  any 
other,  so  had  my  guide  only  one  way  of  showing  me  what  he 
thought  I  ought  to  see ;  in  fact,  my  ideas,  whether  first, 
second,  or  third-class  passengers,  were  all  to  run  on  his  rails. 

I  told  him  I  would  not  give  a  sou  to  see  all  the  animals  in 
the  world ;  that  I  detested  a  labyrinth ;  and  as  he  began  to 
see  I  evidently  disliked  him  too,  and  that  I  was  seriously 

*^^"'  ^'  *•  *  Get  on  then  I 


\ 


V  ' 


V;  •  ; 


•      JARDIN  D£S  PLANTES.  f  f 

thinking  of'  a  divorce,  he  shrugged  up  his  shoulders,  and  we 
walked  in  silence  towards  the  gallery  of  zoology,  a  plain  build- 
ing of  three  stories  high,  390  feet  in  length,  into  which  I  was 
very  glad  to  find  that  he,  not  being  a  stranger,  was  not  allowed 
to  enter. 

The  magnificent  collection  in  the  seven  great  apartments 
of  this  establishment  are  classed  according  to  the  system  of 
Baron  Cuvier.  In  the  first  room  stands  a  marble  statue  of 
Buflfon,  appropriately  surrounded  in  this  and  also  in  the  fol- 
lowing room  by  a  complete  collection  of  highly-varnished 
turtles  and  tortoises  of  all  sizes,  little  fishes  and  serpents  in 
bottles,  enormous  large  ones  suspended  from  the  ceiling, 
snakes  in  the  corner,  and  aquatic  birds  of  every  possible  descrip- 
tion in  all  directions.  In  the  third  are  congregated  more  than 
2000  reptiles  of  500  different  sorts,  divided  into  four  great 
families,  namely,  Chelonians,  commonly  called  tortoises  ;  Sau- 
rians,  or  lizards,  comprehending  crocodiles,  &c. ;  Ophidians, 
or  serpents  ;  and  Batracians,  vulgarly  termed  by  the  unini- 
tiated toads,  frogs,  &c.  The  fourth  contains  crustaceous  spe- 
cies, comprehending  brachyures,  anomures,  macroures,  stoma- 
podes,  amphipodes,  and  xyphosures.  The  fifth  is  enlivened  by 
a  great  variety  of  stuffed  apes,  monkeys,  ourang-outangs,  and 
chimpanzees.  In  the  sixth  are  zoophytes,  sponges,  nautili, 
and  fossil  shells.  In  the  seventh  is  a  beautiful  statue  in  white 
marble,  by  Dupaty,  representing  vivifying  Nature,  surrounded 
by  a  quantity  of  stuffed  goats,  dogs,  and  llamas. 

From  this  splendid  collection  I  ascended  by  a  staircase, 
the  walls  of  which — no  doubt  with  a  view  to  keep  the  pot  of 
the  mind  of  visitors  constantly  boiling — have  been  appropri- 
ately hung  with  dolphins,  seals,  and  other  marine  animals,  to 
the  second  story,  composed  of  four  vaulted  rooms,  in  the  first 
of  which  are  various  species  of  mammalia,  such  as  foxes,  bears, 
weasels,  and  kangaroos.  The  next  room  swarms  with  apes, 
armadillos,  bears,  wolves,  hysenas,  and  ferrets.  In  the  third, 
a  long  gallery,  intersected  by  four  arches,  contains,  principally 
in  glass  cases,  upwards  of  10,000  stuffed  birds  of  2500  differ- 
ent sorts,  forming  the  most  complete  collection  in  Europe. 

In  the  centre  of  rooms  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4,  just  described,  are 
arranged  in  glass  cases  a  complete  collection  of  polypterous 
and  apterous  insects,  also  nests  of  termites,  hornets,  and 
wasps,  with  specimens  of  the  devastations  effected  in  wood  by 


/ 


^  A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 

different  gpeoies  of  worms;  likewise  a  numerous  collection  of 
shells,  moUusoa,  zoophytes,  echini,  &o. 

On  the  ground-floor  are  two  rooms  full  of  duplicates  of 
zoophytes  and  specimens  preserved  in  spirits ;  and  in  the 
third  mammiferous  animals  of  the  largest  class,  such  as  ele 
phants,  hippopotami,  morses,  rhinoceros,  &c. 

On  the  whole  the  gallery  of  zoology  of  ijhe  Jardin  des 
Plantes  is  estimated  to  contain  upwards  of  200,000  specimens 
of  the  animal  kingdom,  among  which  are  2000  specimens  of 
mammalia,  of  nearly  500  dii^rent  species,  and  5000  speci- 
mens of  fishes  of  about  2500  species  ;  besides  which  there  is 
a  very  complete  variety  of  tubifores,  madrepores,  millepores, 
corallines,  and  sponges. 

While,  with  Galignani's  guide-book  in  my  hand,  I  was 
hastily  passing  through  the  chambers  I  have  detailed,  now 
stopping  for  a  moment  to  look  at  a  large  specimen  and  then 
at  a  little  one,  I  could  not  help  acknowledging  how  pleased 
my  guide — who  had  been  trying  in  vain  to  allure  me  to  the 
living  animals  of  the  Garden — ^would  be  could  he  but  witness 
the  feelings  which,  on  very  slippery  boards,  I  experienced  as 
I  walked  between  scales  of  serpents,  shells  of  tortoises,  skins 
of  animals,  and  the  plumage  of  birds,  whose  bodies  were  all 
gone,  and  whose  joyous  lives  had  long  been  extinct ;  all  had 
been  the  captives  of  man ;  all  had  died  either  by  his  hands, 
or  in  his  hands  ;  and  although  their  variety  was  infinite,  their 
congregation  astonishing,  and  the  method  of  their  arrange- 
ment most  admirable,  yet  in  point  of  beauty,  every  specimen 
— ^whether  of  a  poor  bird  with  wings  extended  always  in  the 
same  attitude,  of  an  animal  with  glass  eyes  and  puffy  legs, 
of  a  gouty-looking  fish  immoveably  floating  in  spirits  of  wine 
— ^was  but  an  unsightly  mockery  of  the  living  creatures  witn 
which  it  has  pleased  an  Almighty  Power  to  ornament  and 
animate  that  tiny  speck  of  his  creation  on  which  we  live. 

On  descending  the  slippery  stairs  into  the  fresh  air,  my 
guide — ^who  had  been  waiting  at  the  door  like  a  cat  watching 
for  a  mouse — instantly  joined  me,  and  probably  having,  like 
myself,  had  time  to  reflect  on  the  subject  of  our  disputes,  he 
conducted  me  very  obediently  towards  the  point  I  had  named, 
without  once  reverting  to  the  labyrinth  or  to  the  animals^ 
which  I  have  no  doubt,  were  still  meandering  and  swarming 
in  his  mind.    Nevertheless,  to  every  little  question  I  was 


JAEDIN  BES  PLANTES. 


78 


about  to  put  to  him,  he  could  not  refrain  from  beginning  to 
give  me  a  long  answer  before  I  had  said  three  syllables ;  and 
his  apprehension  was  so  uncomfortably  quick,  and  his  reten- 
tion of  speech  so  feeble,  that  I  had  become  quite  disgusted 
with  him,  when,  as  we  were  walking  together  rather  quickly, 
he  suddenly  stopped. 

On  the  ground  on  my  right,  with  her  back  against  a  row 
of  iron  rails,  was  seated  a  poor  woman  with  two  children  by 
her  side  ;  another,  a  little  boy,  had  been  playing  with  a  ball ; 
and  it  was  because  the  child  had  thrown  his  ball  between  the 
rails,  out  of  his  reach,  and  stood  wistfully  looking  at  it,  that 
my  guide  had  stopped  in  the  very  middle  of  a  question  I  was 
asking  him. 

"  Pardon,  Monsieur  !"*  said  ho  to  me,  leaning  towards 
me,  and  taking  out  of  my  left  hand  my  umbrella,  with  which, 
after  a  good  deal  of  dexterous  fishing,  he  managed  to  hook 
out  the  lost  ball.     The  child  joyfully  seized  it. 

"  Qu'est-ce  que  vous  allez  dire  a  Monsieur  ?"t  said  his 
mother  to  him. 

"  Merci,  Monsieur  V''%  said  the  boy,  looking  my  guide  full 
in  the  face,  and  slightly  bowing  to  him.  The  man  touched 
his  hat  to  the  poor  woman,  and  then  walked  on. 

"  Well !"  said  I  to  myself,  "  that  scene  is  better  worth 
beholding  than  a  varnished  Ssh,  or  a  stuffed  monkey !"  and 
after  witnessing  it,  and  reflecting  on  it,  somehow  or  other,  I 
quarrelled  no  more  with  my  guide. 

I  had  now  been  conducted,  according  to  my  desire,  to  the 
Cabinet  of  Comparative  Anatomy,  which,  by  the  unwearied 
e^^^rtions.  of  Baron  Cuvier,  by  whom  it  was  arranged,  and 
under  whose  direction  most  of  the  objects  were  prepared,  has 
become  the  richest  and  mopt  valuable  collection  in  Europe. 

On  entering  thp  ground,  floor  I  gazed  for  some  minutes 
at  an  assortment  of  skeletoiis  of  whales, — of  a  variety  of  ma- 
rine animals, — and  of  a  male  morse, — brought  by  Captain 
Parry  from  the  Polar  Regions ;  then  proceeding  into  the 
next  room,  and  afterwards  up  stairs,  I  found  myself  surrounded 
by  mummies,  then  by  rows  of  human  skulls  r'  renologioally 
arranged  ;  then  appeared  the  skulls  of  various  animals ;  then 

*  Pardon  me,  Sir ! 

+  What  are  you  going  to  say  to  the  gentleman  ? 

X  Tlianljyou,  Sir.  ;  '    ; 


74 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


¥ 


a  model  of  the  htinian  head,  which,  on  being  taken  to  pieces, 
displayed  all  its  anatomical  secrets ;  then  a  cast  of  the  human 
figure,  denuded  of  its  skin,  cleverly  developing  the  muscles ; 
lastly,  skulls  and  casts  of  great  men,  good  men,  and  wicked 
men.  Among  these  curiosities  I  stood  for  some  time  looking 
at  a  small  group  of  skeletons,  which  had  apparently  been 
collected  for  the  purpose  of  displaying  comparative  specimens 
of  the  different  members  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  <> 

There  was  the  skeleton  of  an  Italian,  twenty-five  years 
of  age  ;  of  a  Dutchman,  aged  forty  ;  of  a  "  Flamand,"  sixty  ; 
of  a  Frenchman  (no  age  stated) ;  and,  lastly,  one  above  which 
was  written, —  -.        m 

"  Anglais,  * 

,  Ag6  de  68  ans. 

De  rHospice  de  la  Piti6.''* 

I  was  looking  at  my  countryman,  who,  poor  fellow !  had 
it  seemed  ended  his  earthly  career,  whatever  it  might  have 
been,  under  the  friendly  but  distant  roof  of  a  French  hospi- 
tal— the  yearly  average  number  of  patients  in  which  is  10,750 
— ^when  I  observed,  written  upon  his  skull,  in  pencil,  the  words 

"Anglicus  Supekbcs."!  '' 

In  glancing  at  the  row  of  skeletons  before  me,  I  had 
naturally  been  so  impressed  with  the  truisms  that  in  death 
all  men  are  equal,  and  that,  although  the  bones  before  me  had 
never  chanced  to  enter  that  grave  in  which,  it  is  said,  no  dis- 
tinction exists,  they  were,  at  all  events,  now  all  alike,  that  it 
had  never  for  a  moment  entered  into  my  head  to  make  any 
coi^parison  between  them.  The  words,  however,  in  pencil, 
involuntarily  drew  my  attention  to  the  subject,  and  I  then 
renrarked,  what  any  one  who  may  he  .'eafter  visit  this  little 
row  of  grim  skeletons  will  instantly  perceive,  namely,  ihat  in 
the  poor  Englishman's  chest  there  is,  where  his  lungs  and 
heart  had  lived,  room  for  a  clean  shirt,  a  couple  of  neckcloths, 
and  half-a-dozen  pocket-handkerchiefs  more  than  in  the  chest 

*  An  Englishman, 
Aged  68  yeai-s, 
From  the  Hospital  of  Pity. 

f  The  Proud  Englisliman.  ,  v  ,  , 


JABDIN  DES  PLANTES. 


75 


of  the  Frenchman,  Dutchman,  Flamand,  or  Italian ;  and 
although  I  was  very  far  from  entertaining  any  desire  to  be 
witty,  and,  above  all,  to  abuse  the  privilege  which  by  the 
French  nation  had  been  so  generously  granted  to  me,  I  cer- 
tainly did  feel  that,  as  an  English  translation  of  the  words  in 
pencil,  ".  Anglicus  Superbus,"  on  the  head  of  my  poor  country- 
man, who  had  died  in  an  hospital,  there  might  fairly  be 
inscribed 

"  TJoLY  Customer  ;'*  , 

for  a  more  powerful  frame  I  never  beheld  :  indeed  the  breadth 
between  his  chest  and  back-bone,  as  compared  with  his  com- 
panions, is  most  remarkable. 

Beside  the  group  I  have  just  described  was  a  skeleton, 
over  which,  by  authority  of  the  museum,  was  inscribed, — 

"  Sqnelette  de  Solyman, 
Instruit  mais  tr^s  fanatique, 
Assassin  de  Kleber."* 

In  what  may  be  called  a  chamber  of  horrors  I  perceived 
the  inside  of  an  ourang  outang.  Also  the  interior  of  some 
hens,  showing  the  gradual  formation  of  their  eggs  ;  and  as  a 
companion  thereto,  in  a  different  portion  of  the  room,  were 
specimens  showing  the  comparative  size  of  infants  of  various 
ages. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  objects  I  witnessed  in  this 
department  of  science  was  a  distinct  human  form,  looking  as 
if  it  had  been  spun  by  an  immense  spider.  It  was  a  repre- 
sentation of  nothing  but  the  heart,  veins,  and  arteries  of  a 
man.  The  whole  secret  of  his  life  was  here  developed.  The 
course  of  hia  blood,  rushing,  flowing,  ebbing  back,  creeping, 
and  crawling  to  and  from  every  part  of  his  system,  was  so 
m;ititcly  detailed,  that  the  momentary  passing  blush  across 
his  cheek  was  clearly  explained. 

On  a  board  suspended  against  one  of  the  walls  of  this 
room,  I  observed  inscribed  the  following  creditable  appeal  to 
the  good  sense  and  good  feeling  of  the  French  people  : — 

*  The  skeleton  of  Solyman, 
Learned,  but  a  great  fanatic, 
The  assassin  of  Kleber. 


76 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCU  STICKS. 


"  Ces  collcotioDB,  Fropri^t^  Nationalcs,  sont  mises  sous  la  sauve-gard« 
des  citoyene."* 

G.-* 

As  I  felt  that  I  could  manago  to  crawl  about  the  garden, 
or  even  occasionally  to  sit  down  and  rest  myself,  without 
assistance,  on  coming  out  of  the  museum  I  paid  off  my  brown- 
faced  attendant  to  his  entire  satisfaction :  and  haying  thus 
thrown  off  my  allegiance  to  him,  I  determined  for  about  half 
an  hour  to  enjoy  liberty,  fraternity,  and  equality.  I  there- 
fore joined  the  crowd,  and  as  every  ^ody  seemed  to  be  stroll- 
ing about,  he  or  she  knew  not  where  or  why,  I  very  luxu- 
riously did  the  same.  Sometimes  I  found  myself  in  an 
avenue  of  lime  and  chestnut  trees  ; — then  in  a  large  enclosure 
forming  the  botanical  garden,  and  called  the  school  of 
Botany  ; — then  in  a  nursery  teeming  with  indigenous,  exotic, 
and  perennial  plants ; — then  looking  over  the  railings  of  a 
sunk  enclosure  containing  a  beautiful  assortment  of  flowering 
shrubs  ; — then,  after  wandering  about,  I  saw  within  a  few  feet 
on  my  right  the  bright  eyes  of  a  pair  of  beautiful  antelopes, 
in  an  enclosure  entirely  their  own ; — then  some  very  odd 
sheep,  that  looked  as  if  their  grandfather  had  been  a  respect- 
able goat ; — then,  with  horns  growing  backwards,  some  buf- 
faloes ; — then  a  flock  of  llamas.  Then  I  came  to  a  poultry- 
yard,  in  the  middle  of  which  stood  a  magnificent  peacock, 
with  his  tail  spread  so  that  every  eye  in  it  might  look  directly 
at  the  sun ;  around  him  were  a  wife  and  an  only  child,  a 
couple  of  cranes,  some  eccentric-looking  geese,  ducks,  and 
other  water-fowl,  from  various  quart ors  of  the  globe.  In 
another  direction  were  some  long-lc,.  j;ed  ostriches  and  a 
cassowari. 

Then  I  passed  a  hexagonal  building,  with  a  projecting 
pavilion  from  each  side,  surrounded  by  railings,  in  which 
were  a  young  rhinoceros,  an  Asiatic  buffalo,  a  cabiai  oi 
capybara  from  Brazil,  and  a  brace  of  elephants,  whose  saga- 
cious minds,  or  rather  trunks,  were  constantly  occupied  in 
analysing  the  contents  of  a  great  number  of  little  outstretched 
hands,  some  of  which  contained  a  bit  of  orange-peel, — re- 
jected ; — half  a  bun, — accepted  ; — the  core  and  pips  of  an 


*  These  collections,  the  Property  of  the  Nation,  are  placed  under  the 
protection  of  the  citizens. 


JAKDLW  1)£S  PLAi^TKS. 


apple,  the  rest  of  which  a  maidservant  had  oaten, — accepted ; 
— &c. 

In  one  enclosure  were  some  Voftutiful  zebras;  in  others 
South  American  buifaloes,  antelopes,  gazelles,  and  bisons.  In 
the  nianagerie,  composed  of  two  dens  full  of  wild-beasts,  were 
hyajnas,  -wolves,  jackals,  leopards,  lions  and  lionesses,  safely 
secured  by  iron  bars,  through  which  a  crowd  of  peof>le  of  all 
ages,  in  round  hats,  cocked  hats,  casquets,  caps,  bonnets,  and 
with  mouths  gaping  or  closed,  arc  continually  to  be  seen  gaz- 
ing at  the  captives.  The  chief  point  of  attraction,  however — 
I  mean  that  which  appeared  to  be  best  suited  to  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men,  women,  and  children,  of  senators,  soldiers, 
and  clergy — was  a  substantial  stone  building,  divided  into  a 
number  of  little  compartments,  with  a  large  circular  playground 
in  front,  covered  with  wirework,  in  which  were  to  be  seen  wet- 
nursing,  caressing,  squalling,  quarrelling,  gambolling,  biting, 
pinching,  pulling,  jumping,  vaulting,  swinging  by  their  tail, 
until  tired  by  all  these  exertions  they  paused  to  rest  and  chat- 
ter, a  large  and  complicated  assortment  of  monkeys,  daily  al- 
lowed to  enjoy  sunshine  and  fresh  air,  and  to  hold  a  levee,  un- 
til four  o'clock,  at  which  hour  a  couple  of  keepers  with  whips 
drive  them  into  their  respective  colls,  the  doors  of  which— 
some  not  more  than  a  foot  square — shut  them  up  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  twenty-four  hours,  to  ruminate  on  what  they 
have  seen,  and  digest  as  well  as  they  can  what  they  have  eaten. 

After  passing  some  very  large,  lazy,  soft,  flabby  boa  con- 
strictors under  glass,  and  kept  warm  by  blankets  and  hot  air, 
in  short,  looking  altogether  very  much  like  highly  respectable 
aldermen  after  a  civic  feast,  I  came  to  a  quantity  of  cages,  con- 
taining all  sorts  of  Eoman  or  hook  nosed  birds  of  prey,  from 
the  tiny  sparrow-hawk  up  to  the  eagle,  vulture,  and,  at  last, 
the  great  condor  of  South  America,  whoso  bald  pate,  bony  legs, 
and  muscular  frame,  I  had  never  before  seen  in  captivity ; 
among  them  I  observed  a  dull,  puny-looking,  brown  bird,  with 
a  particularly  weak  beak,  over  whose  head,  as  he  stood  moping 
01.^  his  perch,  was  written — "  surely,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  by 
some  royalist " — 

"AlGLE    VULGAIRE    DE    CoRSE."* 

After  strolling  about  some  little  time  among  a  crowd  of 
*  Common  (vulgar)  Eagle  of  Corsica. 


78 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENUl  HTWKS. 


people,  who  seemed  to  bo  as  Imppy  and  as  thoughtless  as  the 
birds  singing  in  the  trees  around  them,  I  saw  several  persona 
peeping  over  each  other's  shoulders  at  something  beneath  them, 
and,  on  my  peeping  too,  over  the  bonnets  and  beautiful  rib- 
ands of  a  lady,  if  possible,  as  old  as  myself,  I  perceived  that 
the  objects  of  their  attention  were  some  bears,  in  two  or  three 
deep  pits,  separated  from  each  other  by  high  walls,  of  tiio 
same  altitude  as  those  which  surrounded  them  on  the  throe 
other  sides.  In  one  of  these  cells  were  two  largo  brown  trans- 
atlantic specimens,  living  with  all  that  can  conveniently  be 
granted  to  them  to  remind  them  of  their  distant  homes  ;  and 
thus,  in  the  middle  of  the  universe  of  their  small  paved  court, 
there  has  been  placed  a  solitary  pole,  with  iron  bars  instead  of 
branches,  to  represent  the  great  forest  of  North  America. 
With  these  reminiscences  before  them  they  are  perfectly  at 
liberty  to  roam  as  far  and  to  climb  as  high  as  they  can.  One 
of  the  captives,  however,  instead  of  doing  either  one  or  the 
other,  stood  on  his  hind  legs,  searching  for  benevolent  faces 
that  would  give  him  apples,  while,  in  the  adjoining  cell,  a  white 
bear  looked  up  most  piteously  as  if  begging  only  for — cold. 

In  another  cell  I  observed  poor  Bruin  cantering  for  exer- 
cise round  his  pit  as  steadily  as  if  a  horse-breaker  had  been 
lounging  him  ;  and  yet  I  remarked  that  even  he  now  and  then, 
like  Rasselas,  looked  upwards,  evidently  longing  to  bo  out. 
Among  those  who,  like  myself,  were  intently  watching  these 
poor  captiveSj  tvere  two  young  fresh-coloured  priests,  in  long 
black  gowns,  tight  over  their  chests  and  loose  downwards, 
three-cornered  black  hats,  white  bands,  and  white  edges  to  their 
stocks.  As  they  stood  directly  opposite,  I  found  I  could  not 
conveniently  raise  my  eyes  from  the  animals  without  looking 
at  them,  and  whenever  I  did  so,  and  reflected,  poor  fellows  ! 
on  the  unnatural  lives  that  had  been  chalked  out  for  them,  I 
could  not  help  feeling  that,  on  the  whole,  the  bears  had  the 
best  of  it. 

As  I  was  retiring  from  the  gardens  in  which,  with  so  much 
pleasure,  I  had  been  a  loiterer,  just  as  I  passed  the  barrier 
that  contained  the  elephants  the  clock  struck  three.  The  sa- 
gacious creatures,  who,  resting  first  one  huge  fore  leg  and  then 
the  other,  had  been  as  attentive  to  the  crowd  as  the  latter  had 
been  to  them,  no  sooner  heard  this  signal  than,  turning  their 
short  apologies  for  tails  towards  the  public  and  republic,  and 


' 


MESSAGERIES  QJiNERALES  DE  FRANCE. 


79 


their  heads  towards  their  dormitories,  they  awaited  with  ap" 
parent  impatience, — every  now  and  then  uttering  a  noise  com- 
pounded of  the  cries  of  birds  and  beasts, — until  in  a  few  se- 
conds, the  gates  being  thrown  open,  they  walked  in,  and  their 
doors  being  then  closed,  and  there  being  nothing  to  be  seen 
hut  the  empty  court  in  which  they  had  stood|  everybody,  like 
myself,  walked  away. 


-♦-♦^ 


'!  i» 


MEfcoAaERIES  GiJNERALES  DE  FRANCE* 

I  WAS  returning  through  La  Rue  Grenelle  St.  Honor6,  when 
I  was  suddenly  induced  to  turn  to  my  right,  uuder  the  lofty 
arch  of  a  portecochere,  over  which  was  written  in  large  letters 
the  four  words  above  described,  and,  on  walking  into  a  spa- 
cious paved  yard,  there  instantly  flashed  before  my  eyes  the 
yellow  painted  panels,  bright  scarlet  borders,  and  black  var- 
nished tops  of  a  congregation  of  three-bodied  carriages,  each 
divided  into  "  coup6,"  "  int^rieur,"  and  "  rotunde,"  surround- 
ed by  cabriolets  of  various  shapes.  On  looking  round  the 
court,  one  of  the  most  prominent  objects  in  which  was  a  large 
clock,  I  saw,  written  in  compartments  on  the  wall,  "  Angle- 
terre,"  Amsterdam,  Aix-la-Chapelle,  Besanqon  et  Geneve,  St. 
Etienne  et  Ctermont,  Orleans,  Tours,  Saumur,  Ch&teauroux, 
Cherbourg,  Caen,  Brest,  Rennes.  The  scene  was  one  of 
well-arranged  confusion.  While  the  cracking  of  whips  as- 
sailed my  ears,  (the  French  postilions  can,  they  say,  crack, 
sufficiently  well  to  be  recognised,  any  common  tune,)  I  ob- 
served people  diagonally  hurrying  across  the  yard,  and  across 
each  yther,  in  all  directions. 

"  Par  iei,  Madame,  s'il  vous  plait  !"t  said  a  porter,  stand- 
ing close  to  the  horses  of  a  diligence,  all  ready  to  start. 
"  Montez,  Monsieur  }"|'to  a  man,  near  him,  carefully  packed 
up  for  travelling. 

Behind  the  exalted  cabriolets  and  on  the  roofs  of  several 

•   '•  *  General  Coach  Office,  «fec.,  of  France.  T^ 

+  This  way,  Ma'am,  if  you  please. 
X  Get  in  or  up,  Sir ! 


•  -'.»'■■ 


m 


o 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FliEyCH  STICKS. 


diligonoen  about  t*  .>rt  was  oonapicuous  a  magazine  or  store- 
house  of  baggago,  of  ;  \.  name  iieight  as,  and  of  the  whole  length 
of,  the  carriugo.  The  horBCS.  whose  pioturcBquo  collars  were 
ornamented  with  bells,  which  at  every  moment  slightly  tinkled, 
were  standing  in  whity-brown  harness,  with  narrow  reins. 
Tlie  driver  or  ooaohman  of  each  vehicle  was  dressed  in  a 
hairy  cap,  a  blouse  apparently  much  bleached  by  wind  and 
rain,  and  blue  trowsers.  The  "  conducteurs"  in  dark-cloth 
coats,  covered  with  black  lace,  black  filligree  work,  black 
frogs,  and  collars  embroidered  with  silver.  One  had  a  scar- 
let sash  round  his  waist.  Standing  in  the  yard  beside  them, 
were  nearly  a  dozen  women,  some  in  white  caps,  some  in 
black  ones,  but  almost  all  with  baskets  in  their  hands. 

"  Adieu  !"  said  one. 

"  Bon  voyage,  ma  mdre  !  !"*  said  another. 

There  were  gentlemen  with  watch-chains  of  gold  or  silver 
festooned  across  their  waistcoats ;  a  dog  vociferously  barking 
in  French ;  a  niiller,  with  a  long  beard  all  over  flour ;  yellow 
hand-barrows  wheeling  portmanteaus,  trunks,  bandboxes,  and 
gaudy  carpet-bags;  yellow  one-horse  baggage-carts,  with 
black  canvass  covers. 

In  the  principal  "  bureau,"  or  oflice,  I  observed  men  wri- 
ting, in  beards,  with  faces  the  perspiration  on  which  seemed 
to  say  they  might  do  very  well  without  them. 

At  last,    "Montez,   Madame!"     "Allons!"     Clack! 


clack  !  .  .  clack  ! 


clack 


clack  !     When   the  huge 


reeling  mass,  dragged  by  five  horses  in  hand,  first  moved  off, 
it  appeared  impossible  for  the  pair  of  humble  little  wheelers, 
— ^who,  without  touching  the  pole,  trotted  before  it  like  a 
guard  of  honour, — ever  to  stop,  or  even  to  steer  it  out  of  the 
yard.  Nevertheless,  clack  !  cFack  !  clack  !  clack  !  clack  ! 
rolling  and  tossing  like  a  great  vessel  just  out  of  harbour,  it 
obeyed  the  helm  ;  and  without  the  smallest  difficulty — glori- 
ously rumbling  along  the  pave  as  if  it  would  shake  the  earth 
to  its  foundation — worming  its  way  out  of  the  court,  it  pass- 
ed under  the  arch  in  triumph  ! 

To  each  yellow  baggage-cart,  whose  duty  it  is  to  despatch 
throughout  Paris  the  mass  of  parcels,  &c.,  continually  arriv- 
ing "  par  diligence,"  is  attached  a  "  facteur,"  to  deliver  the 


*  A  good  jom'uey  to  you,  mother  I 


TllEATRK  DE^  AmMAVX  HAUVAGKfi. 


81 


packages,  and  a  sous-factcur  to  drive  the  horse.  Both  of 
these  birds  of  paradise  are  dressed  in  blue  caps  with  silver 
embroidery,  blue  jackets,  silver  buttons,  scarlet  collar,  blue 
trowsers,  terminating  in  mock  leather  boots,  sewed  on  to 
them. 

In  a  similar  dress,  but  a  shade  or  two  finer,  stands  the 
"  factour  du  bureau,"*  who  enregisters  the  "  voyageurs,"t  and 
eventually  places,  or, — in  the  case  of  an  English  travelling 
family  who  don't  understand  Frcnchj — politely  stufl's  them 
into  their  respective  places. 


-•-•-«- 


/     A 


THEATEE  DES  ANIMAUX  SAUVAGES. 


I  WAS  strolling  along  the  Boulevart  des  Italiens,  when  I 
observed  on  my  left  a  number  of  people,  without  touching 
each  other,  standing  in  procession  as  if  following  soine  hearse 
that  for  a  few  moments  had  stopped.  On  looking,  however, 
at  the  head  of  the  little  line  of  march,  I  perceived  it  crowd- 
ing round  a  small  hole  about  a  foot  square,  into  which  they 
were  paying  money  and  receiving  tickets. 

"What  place  is  this,  if  you  please?"  said  I  to  a  gentle- 
man who  was  just  passing. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  c'est  le  th^Atre  des  animaux 
sauvages." 

He  proceeded  politely  to  tell  me  it  was  very  near  the  hour 
at  which  the  beasts  were  fed  ;  and  as  he  added  I  should  have 
much  pleasure  in  witnessing  it,  I  obediently  fell  into  the  line 
of  respectable-looking  people  who  were  approaching  the  little 
hole ;  and  on  arriving  at  it,  and  stooping  down  my  head  to  look 
into  it,  I  saw  the  bearded  face  of  a  grim-looking  personage, 
who  asked  me  very  quickly  what  ticket  I  would  have,  and,  as 
I  was  evidently  perfectly  unable  to  tell  him,  he  kindly  put  the 
proposition  before  me  in  another  light — namely,  "  to  which  part 
of  the  theatre  did  Monsieur  wish  to  go?"  As  I  had  not  the 
least  idea  into  how  many  compartments  the  portion  allotted  for 


*  Head  of  the  Office. 

\  Su'  it's  the  theatre  of  wild  beasts. 

4* 


f  Travellei-fl. 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


the  spectators  was  divided,  or  what  were  their  names,  I  was  no 
better  oflF  than  before,  so  I  was  obliged  to  ask  him  the  prices 
of  each ;  and  having  selected,  as  an  Englishman  invariably 
does,  the  mOi?t  costly,  he  instantly  gave  me  a  card  and  some 
large  double  sous  in  return  for  a  small  piece  of  silver  I  hardly 
looked  at,  and  do  not  know  what  it  was.  After  proceeding 
along  a  passage,  I  came  to  a  man  who  with  one  hand  received 
my  ticket  and  with  the  other  pointed  out  the  particular  lane 
I  was  to  follow,  and  which  conducted  me  into  an  open  space  or 
"  parterre,"  immediately  in  front  of  the  cages  of  a  quantity  of 
wild  beasts ;  on  my  right  was  a  stout  wooden  nainted  partition, 
about  five  feet  high,  above  which,  on  benches  slightly  rising 
one  above  another,  were  seated  those  who  for  Qd.  and  Zd.  had 
obtained  cheaper  tickets. 

As  I  had  purchased  the  privilege  of  walking  about,  I  spent 
nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  looking — sometimes  at  two 
elephants  who,  each  chained  by  one  foot  to  a  platform,  stood 
see-sawing  their  huge  bodies  and  slowly  nodding  their  heads 
and  trunks,  their  little  sharp  eyes  all  the  time  looking  out  in 
every  direction  for  an  extended  hand  with  something  white  in 
it ; — sometimes  at  a  large  rhinoceros,  also  on  a  platform,  at< 
tended  by  an  Arab  in  gaudy  costume ; — and  sometimes  at  a 
series  of  cages  in  which  were  confined  leopards,  wolves,  hyaenas, 
bears,  tigers,  lions,  with  a  den  swarming  alive  with  monkeyS) 
swinging,  chattering,  fighting,  squalling,  screaming,  and  chasing 
each  other  in  all  directions,  save  into  one  corner,  in  which  sat 
chained  to  the  ground  an  immense,  vindictive,  desperate,  blood- 
thirsty, red-republican  looking  chimpanzee.  The  monkeys 
sometimes  got  into  such  a  violent  commotion  that  a  lad,  whose 
principal  duty  it  appeared  consisted  in  beating  them,  opening 
a  little  door,  entered  among  them  with  a  whip.  For  some  time 
he  had  been  taking  notes  of  their  proceedings,  and  he  now  be- 
gan— with  impartial  justice — to  flog  them  according  to  their 
ofifences.  The  operation,  which  caused  a  great  rush  of  the  specta- 
tors in  the  "  parterre"  to  the  cage,  was  certainly  not  without  its 
effect,  for  the  monkeys,  as  soon  as  it  was  over,  sat  for  nearly  a 
minute  without  indulging  in  a  single  frolic,  until,  one  happen- 
ing to  give  a  jump  over  the  back  of  a  comrade  below,  whose 
tail  he  most  unfortunately  twitched  en  passant,  there  revived, 
as  in  important  diplomatic  disputes,  first  of  all  grimaces,  then 
a  simultaneous  display  of  innumerable  sets  of  little  white 


THEATRE  JJES  ANIMAUX  SAUVACfES. 


^ 


teeth,  till  chattering,  and  finally  a  declaration  of  general  war, 
which,  as  usual,  in  due  time  was  succeeded  by  another  peace. 
As  the  seats  in  the  theatre  were  now  almost  all  occupied,  and 
the  parterre  nearly  half  covered  with  spectators,  the  business 
of  the  evening  commenced  by  a  young  man,  in  a  chanting 
tone, — in  which  a  great  deal  of  magnificent  emphasis  was  almost 
invariably  heaped  upon  the  wrong  words, — ^giving  to  the  com- 
pany the  history  of  each  of  the  largest  of  the  animals.  As 
soon  as  he  had  concluded,  the  turbiined  AYab,  with  hooked  nose 
and  bright  eyes,  pointing  with  his  sallow,  lean,  emaciated  fore- 
finger  at  the  rhinoceros,  detailed  in  broken  French  the  history 
of  his  capture,  of  his  embarkation,  of  his  violent  conduct  on 
board  ship  during  a  gale  of  wind,  of  his  endeavours  to  break  a 
hole  in  the  ship's  side,  and  of  the  necessity  therefore  of  sawing 
off  his  horn.  He  showed  his  horn  at  three  years  old ;  that 
which  had  grown  out  of  him  at  seven ;  and  approaching  the  huge 
hairless  creature,  he  then  pointed  to  a  stout  stump  about  four 
inches  long,  which,  for  safety's  sake,  was  all  he  was  nov/  allowed 
to  possess.  He  had  scarcely  concluded,  when  the  young  man  who 
had  described  the  other  animals  called  out  with  a  loud  voice,-— 

"  Charles  va  entrer  dans  le  cage  des  leopards  !"* 
— towards  which  the  people  in  the  parterre  immediatelyhur- 
ried.  After  a  pause  of  about  half  a  minute  I  heard  three  loud 
startling  taps  at  the  back  of  the  cage,  as  if  there  had  been  "■  a 
message  from  the  Lord's ;"  then  the  drawing  back  of  an  iron 
bolt ;  at  last  a  small  low  door  opened,  through  which  there  ap- 
peared, stooping  as  he  entered,  "  Charles,"  who,  instantly  as- 
suming an  erect  and  rather  theatrical  attitude,  stood  in  the 
midst  of  the  beasts  whose  den  he  had  invaded.  He  was  a  tall, 
thin,  sinewy,  handsome-looking  man,  with  very  black  hair ;  and 
whether  it  was  necessary  for  his  protection,  or  whether  it  was 
merely  a  pretence,  I  know  not,  but  his  first  precaution  was,  by  a 
most  extraordinary  expression  of  his  eyes,  to  look  with  them  into 
those  of  each  of  the  beasts  around  him,  who  severally,  one  after 
another,  seemed  to  turn  from  his  glance  as  if  from  fear,  abhor- 
rence, or  both.  However,  whatever  were  their  feelings,  Charles 
very  soon  demonstrated  that,  in  official  language,  "  with  senti- 
ments of  the  utmost  respect,  they  had  the  honour  to  be  his 
most  obedient,  humble  servants." 

With  his  right  hand  catching  one  by  the  skin  of  his  neck, 

*  Charles  is  going  into  the  cage  of  the  leopards  I 


84 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FJiENCH  STICKS. 


he  pulled  him, —  pushed  him, — shook  his  left  fist  at  him, — 
Caught  him  by  one  fore-leg, — ^jerked  it  upwards,  cast  him  on 
the  ground, — and  then,  throwing  liimself  upon  him,  leaning 
his  elbow  on  his  captive's  neck,  resting  his  head  on  his  hand, 
and  looking  at  the  audience  as  if  to  say, — 

"  Now  does  not  a  leopard  make  a  most  easy  chair  ?" —      r 
he  received  in  acknowledgment  a  round  of  applause. 

After  subduing  each  of  the  leopards  in  a  different  way,  he 
began  rather  frantically  to  wave  his  arms :  upon  which  first 
one  of  them  jumped  over  him,  then  another,  until  at  last  they 
were  seen  running  round  and  ov^r  him  in  all  directions. 
Charles,  now  looking  to  his  right  and  then  to  his  left,  walked 
slowly  backwards  until  he  reached  the  little  door,  which 
opened, — allowed  him  to  retire, — and  then,  as  if  with  a  sort 
of  "  shut  sesame"  influence,  apparently  closed  of  its  own 
accord. 

After  the  audience  in  the  parterres  had  in  groups  talked 
it  all  over,  and  after  a  general  buzz  of  conversation  through- 
out the  theatre — everybody  within  it  appearing  either  to  be 
talking,  sucking  an  orange,  or  munching  a  cake — a  loud  voice 
again  proclaimed, — 

"Charles  va  entrer  dans  la  cage  des  tigres."* 

The  same  three  knocks,  the  same  entering  bend,  the  same 
erect  attitude,  and  the  same  extraordinary  glare  of  his  eyes, 
accompanied  by  a  corresponding  grin  with  his  teeth,  formed 
the  prelude  of  operations,  of  which,  as  it  would  be  tedious  to 
repeat  them,  I  will  only  say  that  although  it  was  evident 
much  greater  circumspection  was  evinced,  Charles  succeeded 
in  drilling  his  captives  with  wonderful  power  into  extraordi- 
nary obedience.  They  growled,  roared,  opened  their  mouths, 
but,  the  moment  he  put  his  face  against  their  beards,  they 
turned  from  him  as  if  they  had  been  suddenly  converted  into 
bits  of  floating  iron,  and  he  into  the  repellant  end  of  a  power- 
ful magnet. 

After  a  third  announcement,  Charles  entered  the  den  of 
five  lions,  who,  as  compared  with  the  tigers,  appeared  to  be 
passionless;  indeed,  one  might  have  fancied  them  not. only 
to  be  beasts  of  burden  rather  than  of  prey,  but  that  the  bur- 
den they  were  especially  intended   to  submit  to  was,— ill- 

.     ,^.  *  Charles  is  going  into  the  cage  of  the  tigera.        .,,,,,,' 


THEATRE  DES  ANIMAUX  SAUVAGES. 


85 


treatment  by  man.  The  old  shaggy  father,  or  rather  grand- 
father, of  the  family,  seemed  as  if  nothing  could  disturb  hia 
equanimity.     Charles  shook  his  lean  flabby  cheeks, — 

"for  his  skin 
Like  a  lady's  loose  gown  liung  about  him," 

closed  his  eyes,  forced  them  open,  pulled  at  his  long  shaggy 
mane  with  both  hands.  By  main  strength  opening  his  wide 
mouth,  and  disclosing  long  yellow  tushes,  blunted  and  distort- 
ed by  age,  he  put  his  face  to  his  great  broad  nose,  rubbing 
his  mustachios  against  it  as  he  kissed  it ;  then,  again  wrench- 
ing open  his  naouth,  he  slammed  his  jaws  together  with  such 
violence  that  we  heard  the  hard  teeth  clash. 

In  a  similar  way  Charles  successively  paid  his  addresses 
to  the  lioness,  who  growled  a  good  deal,  and  to  the  other  lions, 
who  made  a  variety  of  noises,  between  a  roar,  a  grumble,  and 
a  snarl. .  He  then  drove  them  this  way,  that  way,  and  all 
sorts  of  ways  ;  pushing  one  with  his  foot,  pulling  another  by 
the  tail,  &c.,  «&c. ;  at  ]  ist,  going  to  one  end  of  the  cage  and 
calling  to  the  old  grandfather,  he  made  signs  to  him  to  come 
and  lie  down  at  his  feet.  The  aged  creature,  who  appeared 
to  be  dead  sick  of  this  world,  of  everything  it  contained,  and 
especially  of  anything  in  it  approaching  to  a  joke,  for  some 
time  looked  at  him  most  unwillingly,  turning  his  head  away 
as  if  to  try  and  change  the  subject.  At  last,  in  obedience  to 
repeated  movements,  especially  of  Charles's  eyes,  he  got  up, 
wormod  his  way  between  his  wife  or  daughter-in-law,  which- 
ever it  'vas,  and  the  ret't  of  his  fellow-captives,  and  with  a 
deep  groiiDi  rolled  over  and  lay  motionless.  Charles  imme- 
dir^teh  ;ie!  to  v/ork  to  arrange  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  corpse : 
pusVec'  iiitJ  gi  i.  head  square,  tucked  in  a  huge  fore-leg,  ad- 
jus  id  a  hind  one,  put  his  long  tail  to  rights,  and  when  he 
was  completel^y  ^  nrallel  to  the  bars  he  ogled  the  lioness,  who, 
e5.ceec;t)gly  unwillingly,  at  last  came  forward  and  lay  down 
with  her  head  on  the  old  lion's  flank.  When  she  also  was 
squared,  Charles,  with  dumb  signs,  and  without  the  utterance 
of  a  single  word,  for  he  seemed  to  do  his  work  almost  entirely 
by  his  eyes,  insisted  upon  the  remaining  three  lying  down 
one  after  anotli*  r,  each  with  his  head  upon  the  flank  of  the 
last  recumbent,  in  the  way  described.     It  took  him  a  consid- 


86 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBFNCH  STICKS. 


I 


erable  time  to  adjust  them  in  a  line,  and,  not  satisfied  with 
this,  he  then,  with  considerable  force,  put  the  upper  fore  paw 
of  each  over  his  bedfellow's  neck,  until  they  all  formed  one 
long  confused  mass  of  yellow  hair,  upon  which  he  lay  down 
"  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest  with  his  martial  cloak  around 
him."^ 

His  triumph  was  greeted  with  general  approbation.  I 
could  not,  however,  help  feeling  I  was  witnessing  an  exhibition 
which  no  civilized  country,  most  espooially  one  like  France, 
teeming  with  brave  men,  ought  to  allow.  To  maltreat  a  pris- 
oner under  any  circumstances  is  ungenerous ;  deliberately  to 
behave  towards  any  living  being  with  cruelty  is  discreditable  ; 
but  when  man,  calling  himself  "  the  Lord  of  Creation,"  gifted 
with  reason,  coolly,  coldly,  deliberately,  and  by  slow  but  con- 
tinuous degrees,  maltreats  and  tortures  a  wild  animal  distin- 
guished by  his  courage,  and  whose  characteristic  is  ferocity,  he 
commits  a  crime,  guilty  in  proportion  to  its  success ;  indeed, 
a  moment's  reflection  must  surely  convince  any  one  how  little 
cause  any  congregation  of  civilized  beings  have  to  rejoice  in 
being  able  to  demonstrate  that,  by  a  series  of  secret  cruelties 
and  by  long-protracted  indignities,  man  may  at  last  succeed 
in  subduing  the  courage,  in  cowing  the  spirit,  in  fact,  in 
breaking  the  heart  of  a  captive  lion  !  and  yet,  incredible  as  it 
may  sound,  the  people  of  Bnglaud,  but  a  few  years  ago,  flocked 
in  clouds  to  witness  this  unworthy  triumph,  little  reflecting 
that  while  they  were  applauding  Van  Amburgh,  and  while 
they  were  cheering  on  English  bulldogs  to  bite  the  ears  and 
lacerate  the  jowl  of  a  lion,  apparently  too  noble  to  feel  any- 
thing but  astonishment  at  the  foul  treatment  to  which  he  was 
subjected,  and  which  it  is  a  well-known  fact  for  a  long  time  he 
disdained  to  resent,  not  only  the  people  but  the  roy?  ■  irms  of 
England — "  the  lion  and  the  unicorn  fighting  for  the  crown," — 
were  publicly  dishonoured  and  disgraced ;  for  the  French  army 
under  Napoleon  might  just  as  well,  during  their  march  of  tri- 
umph, have  amused  themselves  by  assembling  in  a  theatre  to 
behold  one  of  their  (iountrymen  pluck  every  feather  from  a 
living  eagle,  whose  figure'  decorated  alike  their  standards  and 
their  breasts,  as  a  body  of  Englishmen  publicly  to  torture  that 
noble  monarch  of  wild-beasts — one  of  the  heraldic  supporters 
of  the  British  Crown  ! 

But,  under  the  beneficent  dispensations  of  Providence,  it 


i 

M 


io-'^J^' 


THEATRE  BES  ANJMAUX  SAUVAGES.  M| 

usaally  happens  that  what  is  unbecoming  for  man  to  perform  is 
not  only  unwise  but  unprofitable.  No  one  can  phrenologically 
look  at  the  head  of  a  tiger  without  perceiving  that  he  is  not 
gifted  with  brains  enough  to  govern  his  passions ;  and  although 
a  human  being,  boasting  of  reason^  may  with  impunity  succeed 
for  some  time  in  putting  his  head  into  the  mouth  and  between 
the  jaws  of  his  victim,  yet  it  is  evident  that,  if  anything  should 
suddenly  inflame  the  heart  of  the  beast,  there  docs  not  exist 
within  his  skull  anything  to  counteract  the  catastrophe  that 
occasionally  has  happened,  and  which  in  barbarous  exhibitions 
of  this  sort  is  always  liable  to  happen.  For  the  preservation 
therefore  of  human  life,  and,  what  is  infinitely  more  valuable, 
for  the  honour  of  human  nature,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
nations  of  Europe  will  by  proper  regulations  prevent  ferocious 
animals — properly  enough  exhibited  as  specimens  of  their 
race — from  being  treated,  either  in  public  or  in  private,  with 
that  cruelty  or  indignity  which  there  can  exist  no  doubt  had 
been  previously  necessary  to  make  hyaenas,  tigers,  wolves,  and 
lions  go  through  the  mountebank  feats  I  have  described. 

However,  "  revenons  a  nos  moutons."* 

Charles  now  appeared  on  the  elephants'  platform,  m  front 
of  which  the  occupiers  of  the  parterre  swarmed,  and  towards 
which  the  eyes  of  the  rows  of  heads  arranged  in  tiers  one  over, 
another,  were  directed.  As  soon  as  the  attendant  had  un- 
screwed the  hcpvy  chain  just  above  the  captive's  foot,  and 
which  appeared  to  have  pinched  him  a  good  deal,  the  huge 
creature  walked  up  to  Charles,  and,  as  if  determined — at  all 
events  as  regarded  politeness — to  inf  fcruct  rather  than  be 
instructed,  with  a  wave  of  his  trunk  he  took  off  Charles's  hat 
f<jr  him,  and  with  it  bowed  profoundly  in  three  directions,  to 
the  ladies  and  gentlemen  on  his  right,  then  to  those  on  his 
left,  uiid  lastly  to  those  immediately  before  him.  In  obedience 
to  his  master's  words  of  command  he  now  lifted  up  one  clumsy 
gouty-looking  leg,  then  another;  then  one  fore  leg  and  one 
hind  one,  of  opposite  sides ;  then  one  fore  and  hind  leg  of  the 
same  side ;  then  the  heavy  animal,  bowing  with  his  trunk  as 
he  began,  danced — with  the  monkey  as  his  partner — the  polka 
step,  his  kicking  np  behind — 

"  Old  Joe  kicking  np  behind  and  before, 
And  the  yallaj-  gall  a  kicking  up  behind  old  Joe  I" 


*  To  return  to  our  svibject. 


Bw 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FREnCH  STICKS. 


—causing  great  merriment,  especially,  it  appeared,  to  all  who 
wore  bonnets.  He  then,  on  a  handful  of  mixed  moneys  being 
thrown  on  the  platform,  obediently  picked  up  all  the  gold,  and 
then  all  the  silver,  putting  each  piece  into  a  box  high  above  his 
head,  the  lid  of  which,  being  closed,  he  was  obliged  always  to 
lift  up.  Lastly,  he  caused  a  sort  of  galvanic  twitch  more  or 
less  strong  among  the  spectators  by  firing  oflf  a  large  horse- 
pistol. 

The  garqon  now  brought  in  a  small  table,  a  large  bell,  and 
a  bell-rope,  which  he  afl&xed  close  beneath  the  money-box,  and 
then  lugged  in  a  long  single  plank,  one  end  of  which  he  placed 
on  the  table,  the  other  end  resting  on  the  platform,  close  to 
the  entrance  door  behind.  As  soon  as  these  preparations  were 
adjusted,  the  elephant,  with  some  dignity,  pulled  at  the  rope 
and  rang  thfi  bell,  which  had  scarcely  sounded  when,  from  the 
far  corner  of  the  platform,  in  tripped,  dres&ed  like  a  waiter,  a 
monkey  en  its  hind  legs,  holding  in  both  arms  a  tablecloth 
and  a  huge  napkin  ;  the  former  was  spread  on  the  table,  and 
the  latter  was  scarcely  fixed  round  the  elephant's  neck,  like  a 
pinafore,  when  he  rang  again,  on  which  in  trotted  the  monkey 
with  a  plate  of  soup,  which  he  delivered  to  Charles,  who  gave 
it  to  the  animal,  whose  proboscis  in  about  three  seconds  suck- 
ed it  all  up.  The  elephant  then  instantly  rang  again,  on  which 
the  monkey  brought  him  in  both  hands  a  large  plate  of  cab- 
bage, the  whole  of  which,  extending  his  trunk  and  then  tuck- 
ing it  upwards,  he  put  into  his  mouth.  The  laugh  which  this 
single  mouthful  caused  had  not  half  subsided,  when,  the  bell 
having  again  rung,  in  trotted  a  dish  of  little  cutlets,  two  or 
three  of  which,  while  Charles's  head  was  turned,  the  pilfering 
monkey  stuffed  into  his  mouth,  eyeing  his  master  all  the  time 
with  a  look  of  deep  serious  cunning  which  was  very  amusing. 
The  elephant  took  the  plate,  and  at  one  movement  turned  all 
the  rest  into  his  mouth. 

On  wine  being  brought  to  him  by  the  monkey,  he  poured 
some  of  it  into  a  glass,  drank  it,  and  then,  taking  hold  of  the 
black  slippery  bottle,  and  decanting  almost  the  whole  of  it 
into  his  mouth,  he  gave  it  to  his  tiny  attendant,  who,  as  he 
•vvas  running  away  with  it,  all  of  a  sudden  stopped  in  the  middle 
of  the  plank,  then  with  his  old-fashioned  face  looked  over  one 
shoulder  at  Charles's  back,  and,  greedily  raising  the  bottle  to 
his  mouth,  he  drained  it  to  the  very  last  drop ;  lastly,  with 


w^sIP' 


THEATRE  DES  ANIMAUX  SAUVAGES. 


89 


his  tail  protruding  from  his  trowserfl,  ho  trotted  off,  and, 
Charles's  performances  being  over,  he  and  the  elephant  re- 
spectfully bowed  to  the  public. 

The  huge  creature's  supper  having  concluded,  the  last  act 
of  the  entertainment  was  the  feeding  of  the  remainder  of  the 
animals  by  the  gar^on-in-waiting,  who  began  his  work  by 
passing  on  his  hands  and  knees  through  a  small  door  that  ad* 
mitted  him,  a  stout  short  heavy  whip,  a  can  of  milk,  and  a 
basket  of  broken  bread,  into  the  large  cage  or  caravansary 
of  the  monkeys. 

It  would  be  exceedingly  diflScult  accurately  to  describe  the 
excitement  the  appearance  of  all  these  things  at  once  created. 
Every  captive  began  to  chatter,  and  all  the  passions  of  men 
and  monkeys  were  exemplified  in  Babel  confusion.  There 
appeared, — 

"First,  Fear,  his  hand,  its  skill  to  try  " — 

if  he  could  not  pilfer  a  bit  of  bread  ;  * 

"And  back  recoil'd,  he  well  knew  why," 

writhing  from  the  lash  of  the  garqon's  whip. 

In  the  form  of  a  little  ring-tailed  blue  monkey, 

"  Next  Anger  rush'd,  his  eyes  on  fire, 
In  lightnings  own'd  his  secret  stings ;" 

and  a  duel  ensued. 

In  the  attitude  of  the  great  bony  chimpanzee,  ' 

"  With  woeful  measurer,  wan  Despair, 
Low  sullen  sounds  h:s  grief  beguiled ; 
A  solemn,  strange,  and  mingled  air, 
'T  was  sad  by  fits,  by  stai-ts  't  was  wild." 

During  the  time  the  garcon  with  his  left  hand  was  pouring 
milk  and  breaking  bits  of  bread  into  a  long  trough,  his  right 
arm,  without  favour,  partiality,  or  affection— in  fact,  evidently 
not  caring  a  farthing  to  whom  they  belonged — was  constantly 
belabouring  the  innumerable  sets  of  little,  long,  black  fingers 
of  hind  legs  as  well  as  fore  legs  picking  ani  stealing  from  all 
directions.  For  a  considerable  time  the  lad  endeavoured  to 
suppress  this  besetting  vice  by,  as  often  as  he  could,  punish* 


m 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FJiMCJI  ISTICKS. 


ing  it ,  then  and  there,  in  detail ;  at  last,  all  of  a  sudden,  losing 
his  whole  amount  of  patience,  he  put  down  his  basket  and  jug, 
and  then,  flourishing  his  whip  as  if  he  were  going  through  tho 
six  cuts  of  the  broadsword  exercise,  he  attempted,  in  a  state 
of  absolute  fury,  to  inflict  indiscriminate  oastigatiou  on  all  his 
prisoners. 


*  And  though  pometimeB,  each  dreary  pause  between, 

Dejected  Pity,  at  hia  siae,  ''    .,  * ' ^ ' 

-^ler  BOul-8ubduing  voice  applied,  *         ..•;..        s.,' i"  • 

Yet  ptill  he  kept  liia  wild,  iiualtcred  mien, 

While  each  strained  ball  of  sight  seemed  bursting  fi'om  his  head." 


I 


I  believe,  however,  that  on  the  whole  the  lad  lost  rather 
more  than  he  gained  by  his  anger ;  for  often,  while  his  whip 
was  passing  through  empty  air,  his  monkeys  were  to  be  seen 
jumping  with  impunity  over  him — over  each  other — between 
his  legs — flying  horizontally — diagonally — and  vertically,  from 
perches  of  various  heights — this  way — that  way  : — in  short, 
like  sparks  of  fireworks,  in  all  ways  at  once.  During  this 
scene  the  great  chimpanzee,  fettered  in  the  corner,  stood  erect, 
seriously  winking  his  round  eyes  as  if  counting  every  stroke 
of  the  whip.  The  endless  variety  of  "  sauve-qui-peut "  move- 
ments of  the  monkeys,  accompanied  by  occasional  grinning, 
and  by  unceasing  squalling  and  chattering,  formed  altogether 
a  compound  so  attractive  that  it  produced  tlie  only  instance 
of  misunderstanding  I  witnessed  during  my  residence  at 
Paris ;  and,  after  all,  this  only  amounted  to  two  very  fine- 
looking  Frenchmen,  with  large  black  beards,  standing  for 
about  half  a  minute  with  their  faces  almost  touching,  saying 
to  each  other,  in  a  tone  that  increased  in  quickness,  loudness, 
and  fierceness  at  every  repetition, 

"  Mais,  Monsieur  ! 

"  Mais,  Monsieur  ! ! 

"  Mais,  Monsieur  !  !  ! 
■    "  Mais,  Monsieur  !  ! ! ! " 

I  am,  however,  very  happy,  indeed,  to  say,  it  ended — as  it 
had  begun — in  nothing.  In  the  mean  while,  the  gar9on's 
temper  having  returned  to  him,  he  continued  his  laborious 
task,  namely,  to  allow  every  monkey  to  eat  and  drink,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  no  more  than  his  fair  share  of  the  bread  and 
milk  he  had  brought  for  the  whole  republic. 

As  he  was  pretty  well  exhausted  by  his  work,  another  man 


■'/ 


ABATTOIR  DES  COCHOM,  |f 

now  appeared  with  largo  lumps  of  raw  meat  for  the  wild  beasts. 
On  approaching  the  different  cages,  the  ferocity  of  the  tigers, 
hyaenas,  leopards,  «fcc.,wa8  slightly  visible,  from  their  attitudes, 
and  especially  from  their  eyes ;  but  they  all  acted  as  if  under 
the  influence  of  some  narcotic,  and  thus,  at  Charles's  bidding, 
they  relinquished  the  red  flesh  which,  through  the  bars  of  their 
prison,  they  had  caught  in  their  claws.  On  the  whole,  as  this 
unworthy  triumph  over  the  appetites  of  the  fiercest  animals  in 
creation  could  not  have  been  honestly  obtained,  I  felt  any 
thing  but  pleasure  in  beholding  it ;  and  accordingly,  seeing 
that  the  evening's  entertainments  were  drawing  to  a  close,  I 
joined  a  party  leaving  the  parterre,  and  in  a  few  seconds  found 
myself  among  the  happy,  lounging,  loitering,  sitting,  smoking 
crowd  of  the  Boulevard. 


-••♦- 


move- 


ABATTOIR  DES  COCHONS.*       '    , 

On  descending  from  an  omnibus,  in  which  I  had  been  rumb- 
ling along  sideways  for  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and 
which  at  last  dropped  me  considerably  beyond  the  Barriere  do 
Montmartre,  I  was  told  that  in  twenty  minutes  I  could  walk 
to  the  "  Abattoir  des  Cochons,"  which  I  was  desirous  to 
visit. 

Now,  I  always  found  that  the  people  of  Paris,  out  of  sheer 
kindness,  and  to  prevent  me  from  putting  myself  to  the  ex- 
pense of  a  fiacre,  invariably  cheated  me  in  their  estimates  of 
distance,  and  accordingly  it  took  me  nearly  three  quarters  of 
an  hour  of  my  fastest  walking  to  reach  the  point  of  my  desti- 
nation, a  spot  which,  until  lately,  must  have  been  in  the  coun- 
try, but  which  now  is  among  new  buildings,  to  be  seen  rising 
up  around  it  in  all  directions. 

The  establishment,  from  the  outside,  was  completely  con- 
cealed from  view  by  a  high  wall,  including  a  square,  each  side 
of  which  was  about  150  yards  long.  I  walked  round  two  of 
them  without  being  able  to  find  any  entrance ;  at  last,  in  the 
third,  I  came  to  some  large  lofty  iron  gates  and  a  bell,  which 

*  Pig  slaughter-house. 


A  FAGGOT  OF  Fli.'LWIl  STICKS. 


I  took  especial  care  to  touch  gently,  in  the  French  style,  and 
not  to  throw  it  into  hysterics  by  an  English  pull. 

On  being  admitted  by  the  concierge, — who,  as  soon  as  she 
had  opened  the  door,  popped  into  her  hole  as  easily  as  she  had 
popped  out  of  it, — i  saw  before  me,  and  on  each  side,  a  num- 
ber of  low  buildings  with  a  large  clock  in  the  middle,  to  keep 
them  all  in  order ;  and  I  was  looking  at  various  arrange- 
mentH  when  the  "  chef"  of  the  establishment,  at  the  instigation, 
I  suppose,  of  the  concierge,  walked  up  to  me,  and,  after  listen- 
ing to  my  wishes,  told  me  very  formally  that  the  establish- 
ment, although  used  for  public  purposes,  had  been  built  by  an 
individual ;  that  it  was  the  property  of  a  company ;  and  that, 
as  it  would  not  belong  to  the  city  of  Paris  for  four  years,  he 
was  not  permitted  to  show  it  to  any  person  whatever,  without 
an  order  from  the  company. 

"  11  faut  absolument.  Monsieur,  un  ordre  !"* 
To  be  denied  to  see  what  was  literally  before  my  eyes,  and 
to  be  obliged  to  retreat  from  within  four  walls  I  had  had  so  much 
trouble  to  enter,  was  a  disappointment  so  cruel  that  I  can  only 
compare  it  to  what  Tantalus  must  have  experienced  when, 
dying  from  thirst,  he  stood  in  water  which,  bubbling  upwards, 
glided  away  just  before  it  reached  his  lips.  I  was  determined, 
therefore,  if  possible,  to  attain  my  object.  The  chef  was  a 
very  large,  powerful,  and,  notwithstanding  his  occupation,  a 
good-humoured  looking  man.  He,  however,  sturdily  repelled 
all  my  reasoning,  that,  because  I  had  visited  the  "  boucheries" 
of  Pariis,  had  been  permitted  to  see  the  abattoirs  of  oxen, 
sheep,  calves,  &c.,  I  hoped  not  -to  be  refused  to  see  tliat  of 
pigs,  (Src.  &c.  &c.,  by  replying  that  I  had  only  to  apply  for  an 
order  to  obtain  one.  However,  when  I  told  him  to  look  at  me, 
and  see  how  hot  and  tired  I  was,  I  observed  that  I  dealt  him 
a  heavy  blow ;  and  I  had  no  sooner  quickly  followed  it  up  by 
remiitding  him  that,  besides  being  "  bien  fatigue,"t  I  was  a 
stranger  in  his  land — "  un  stranger  "| — a  word  that  upon 
every  class  of  society  in  Paris  acts  like  a  talisman — than  he 
smiled,  shrugged  up  both  his  shoulders,  surrendered  at  discre- 
tion, and,  saying  very  kindly,  "  Aliens,  Monsieur  !"^  he  walked 
into  his  office,  came  out  again  with  some  keys  in  his  right 


*  You  must  absolutely,  Sir,  get  an  order. 

f  Very  tu-ed.  %  A  stranger. 

§  Come  along,  Sir. 


'^- 


ABATTOIR  DKS  COVIIONS* 


hand,  and  then  with  tho  utmost  kindness  conducted  me  over 
the  whole  of  his  buildings. 

As  we  were  walking  along,  I  asked  him  to  bo  so  good  as 
to  explain  to  mo  what  was  the  foundation  of  his  establishment. 
As  if  I  had  touched  a  vital  point,  he  iramedialoly  stopped 
dead  short,  looked  me  full  in  the  face,  and  with  great  dignity 
briefly  explained  to  me,  in  the  following  words,  tho  axiom  or 
principle  of  the  whole  concern  : — "  Monsieur,"  said  he,  "  per- 
sonne  n'a-le  droit  do  tuer  un  cochon  en  Paris  !"* 

Said  I  to  myself,  "  How  I  wish  that  sent*  ViCo  were  written 
in  gold  on  our  London  Mansion  House !" 

We  now  reached  a  long  building,  one  .';tory  hig»i,  not  at  all 
unli'  '  a  set  of  hunting  stables  ;  arid  on  door  No.  1  being 
opf"  [  saw  before  me  a  chamber  ventilated  like  a  brewhouse, 
witli  a  window  at  each  end,  and  paved  with  flag-stones,  the  fur- 
ther half  of  which  was  covered  with  a  thick  stratum  of  straw, 
as  sweet,  clean,  and  unstained  as  if  it  had  just  come  from  the 
flail  of  the  thresher.  Upon  this  wholesome  bed  there  lay 
extended,  fast  asleep,  two  enormous  white  hogs,  evidently  too 
fat  even  to  dream.  They  belonged  to  no  political  party ;  had 
no  wants  ;  no  cares ;  no  thoughts  ;  no  more  idea  of  to-morrow 
than  if  they  had  been  dead,  smoked,  and  silted.  I  never 
before  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  any  of  their  species  so 
clearly ;  for  in  England,  if,  with  bended  back  and  bent  knees, 
an  inquisitive  man  goes  to  look  into  that  little  low  dormitory 
called  a  sty,  the  animal,  if  lean,  with  a  noise  between  a  bark 
and  a  grunt,  will  probably  jump  over  him ;  or  if  fat,  he  lies  so 
covered  up,  that  the  intruder  has  no  space  to  contemplate  him ; 
whereas,  if  the  two  pigs  lying  before  me  had  been  in  my  own 
study,  I  could  not  have  seen  them  to  greater  advantage. 

Without  disturbing  them,  my  conductor  closed  the  door, 
and  we  then  entered  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4,  which  I  found  to  be 
equally  clean,  ard  in  which  were  lying,  in  different  attitudes, 
pigs  of  various  sizes,  all  placidly  enjoying  the  sort  of  apoplec- 
tic slumber  I  have  described.  My  conductor  would  kindly 
have  opened  the  remainder  of  the  doors,  but  as  I  had  seen 
sufl&cient  to  teach  me,  what  in  England  will  be  discredited, 
namely,  that  it  is  possible  to  have  a  pigsty  without  any  disa- 
greeable smell,  I  begged  him  not  to  trouble  himself  by  doing 
so;   and  he  accordingly  was  conducting  me  across  the  open 

*  Sir,  nobody  lias  a  right  to  kill  a  pig  in  Paris. 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

(716)  •73-4503 


'^ 


94 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


square  when  I  met  several  men,  each  wheeling  in  a  barrow  a 
large  jet-black  dead  pig,  the  skin  of  which  appeared  to  be 
slightly  mottled  in  circles.  As  they  passed  me  there  passed 
also  a  slight  whiff  of  smoke ;  and  I  was  on  the  point  of  asking 
a  few  questions  on  the  subject  when  I  found  myself  within  the 
great  slaughter-house  of  the  establishment,  a  large  barn,  the 
walls  and  roof  of  which  were  as  black  as  soot.  The  inside  of 
the  door,  also  black,  was  lined  with  iron.  The  floor  was  oovor- 
ed  for  several  inches  with  burnt  black  straw,  and  upon  it  lay, 
here  and  there,  a  large  black  lump,  of  the  shape  of  a  huge  hog, 
which  it  really  was,  covered  over  with  the  ashes  of  the  straw 
that  had  just  been  used  to  burn  his  coat  from  his  body. 

In  vain  I  looked  beneath  my  feet  and  around  me  to  disco- 
ver the  exact  spots  where  all  this  murder  had  been  committed ; 
but  nowhere  could  I  discover  a  pool,  slop,  or  the  smallest  ves- 
tige  of  blood,  or  anything  at  all  resembling  it.  In  short,  the 
whole  floor  was  nothing  but  a  mass  of  dry,  crisp,  black,  char- 
red remains  of  burnt  straw.  It  was  certainly  an  odd-looking 
Elace ;  but  no  one  could  have  guessed  it  to  be  a  slaughter- 
ouse. 
There  was  another  mystery  to  be  accounted  for.  In  Eng- 
land, when  anybody  in  one's  little  village,  from  the  worthy 
rector  at  the  top  of  the  hill  down  to  the  little  ale-house  keeper 
at  the  bottom,  kills  a  pig,  the  animal,  who  has  no  idea  of  "  let- 
ting concealment,  like  a  worm  in  the  bud,  prey  on  his  damask 
cheek,"  invariably  explains,  seriatim^  to  every  person  in  the 
parish — dissenters  and  all — not  only  the  transaction,  but  every 
circumstance  relating  to  it ;  and  accordingly,  whether  you  are 
very  busily  writing,  reading,  thinking,  or  talking  about  nothing 
at  all  to  ladies  in  bonnets  sitting  on  your  sofa  to  pay  you  a 
morning  visit,  you  know,  and  they  know,  perfectly  well — 
though  it  is  not  deemed  at  all  fashionable  to  notice  it — the 
beginning,  middle,  and  end,  in  short,  the  whole  progress  of  the 
deed ;  for,  first  of  all,  a  little  petulant  noise  proclaims  that 
somebody  somewhere  is  trying  to  catch  a  pig ;  then  the  animal 
begins,  all  at  once,  with  the  utmost  force  of  his  lungs,  to  squall 
out,  "  They  have  caught  me  : — they  are  pulling  at  me : — they 
are  trying  to  trip  me  up : — a  fellow  is  kneeling  upon  me  :— 
they  are  going  to  make  what  they  call  pork  of  me.  0  dear  I 
they  have  done  for  me  I"  (the  sound  gets  weaker)  ''  I  feel  ex- 
ceedingly unwell ; — I'm  getting  flfcit ; — fainter ; — fainter  still, 


(  I 


ABATTOIR  DES  COCHONS. 


w 


) 

am 


— I  shan't  be  able  to  squall  .much  longer  !*'  (a  long  pause 
"  This  very  long  little  squall  is  my  last, — 'Tis  all  over, — I  ai 
dying — I'm  dying — I'm  dying  :  .  .  .  I'm  dead  !" 

Now,  during  the  short  period  I  had  been  in  the  establish- 
ment,  all  the  pigs  before  me  had  been  killed ;  and  although 
I  had  come  for  no  other  earthly  purpose  but  to  look  and 
listen ;  although  ever  since  I  had  entered  the  gate  I  had — ^to 
confess  the  truth — expected  to  hear  a  squall ; — was  surprised 
I  had  not  heard  one ; — and  was  not  only  ready  but  really 
anxious,  with  the  fidelity  of  a  shorthand-writer,  to  have  in- 
serted in  my  notebook  in  two  lines  of  treble  and  bass  the 
smallest  quaver  or  demisemiquaver  that  should  reach  my 
ears,  yet,  I  had  not  heard  the  slightest  sound  of  discontent ! 
However,  while  I  was  engrossed  with  these  serious  reflec- 
tions, I  heard  some  footsteps  outside ;  a  man  within  opened 
the  door  slightly,  and  through  the  aperture  in  trotted,  look- 
ing a  little  wild,  a  large  loose  pig,  whose  white,  clean,  delicate 
skin  physically  as  well  as  morally  formed  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  black  ruins  around  him. 

In  a  few  seconds  he  stopped ; — ^put  his  snout  down  to  the 
charred  ground  to  smell  it ;  did  not  seem  to  like  it  at  all  ;— 
looked  around  him ; — then,  one  after  another,  at  the  super- 
intendent, at  me,  and  the  three  men  in  blouses ; — appeared 
mistrustful  of  us  all ; — and  not  knowing  which  of  us  to  dis- 
like most,  stood  as  if  to  keep  us  all  at  bay.  No  sooner,  how- 
ever, had  he  assumed  this  theatrical  attitude  than  a  man 
who,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  him,  had  been  holding  in  both 
hands  the  extremity  of  a  long  thin-handled  round  wooden 
mallet,  walked  up  to  him  from  behind,  and,  striking  one  blow 
on  his  forehead,  the  animal,  without  making  thei  smallest 
noise,  rolled  over  on  the  black,  charred  dust,  senseless,  and, 
excepting  a  slight  convulsive  kick  of  his  upper  hind  leg,  mo- 
tionless. Two  assistants  immediately  stepped  forward,  one 
with  a  knife  in  his  hand,  the  other  with  a  sort  of  iron  frying- 
pan,  which  he  put  under  the  pig's  neck ;  his  throat  was  then 
cut ;  not  a  drop  of  blood  was  spilled ;  but  as  soon  as  it  had 
completely  ceased  to  flow,  it  was  poured  from  the  frying-pan 
into  a  pail,  where  it  was  stirred  by  a  stick,  which  caused  it 
to  remain  fluid. 

Leaving  the  poor  animal  to  be  singed  by  a  portion  of  the 
heap  of  white  straw  in  a  lOT  corncy,*!  followed  the  men  who 


96 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


with  their  barrows  had  come  again  for  one  of  the  black  corpses, 
lying  on  the  ground,  into  a  large,  light,  airy  building,  as  high 
as  a  church,  as  clean  as  a  dairy,  and  with  windows  and  doors 
on  all  sides.  In  the  centre  was  a  beautiful  fountain  playing, 
with  water-cocks  all  round  the  walls.  By  this  tfmple  supply, 
proceeding  from  two  large  reservoirs,  by  steam  power  main- 
tained constantly  full,  the  flagstones  were  kept  perfectly 
clean,  and  were  consequently,  when  I  entered,  as  wet  as  a 
'  washhouse. 

As  fast  as  the  black  pigs  were  wheeled  in,  they  were  by 
a  running  crane  lifted  up  by  the  hind  legs  until  they  appear- 
ed suspended  in  rows.  Their  insides  were  here  taken  out, 
and  carried  to  a  set  of  large  stone  tables,  where,  by  the  as- 
sistance of  the  water-cocks  and  fountains,  they  were  not  only 
cleaned,  but  became  the  property  or  perquisite  of  the  clean- 
ers. Their  bodies  were  then  scraped,  until  they  became 
deadly  white,  in  which  state,  to  the  number  of  about  300  per 
week,  th\3y  are  restored  at  night  to  their  respective  proprietors 
in  Paris. 

By  the  arrangements  I  have  described,  conducted  by  one 
receiver  of  the  droits  d'octroi  (my  friend),  four  surveillants, 
or  foremen,  and  the  necessary  quantity  of  slaughterers,  wheel- 
ers, cleaners,  and  scrapers,  the  poor  animals,  instead  of  being 
maltreated,  half-frightened  to  death,  and  then  inhumanly 
killed ; — instead  of  inflicting  upon  all  classes  the  sounds  and 
demoralizing  sight  of  a  pig's  death ; — instead  of  contaminat- 
ing the  air  of  the  metropolis ; — ^undergo  the  treatment  I  have 
described,  for  the  knowledge  of  which  I  am  deeply  indebted 
to  the  politeness  of  him  who  so  justly  expouitded  to  me  the 
meaning  of  that  golden  law— - 

"  PeRBONNE  n'a  LE  DBOIT  DE  TUEB  UN  OOCHON  EN  PaWSI" 


-«-•-«- 


GARDENS  OF  THE  TUILERIES. 


The  principal  characteristic  of  ^e  facade  of  the  Tuileries 
looking  into  the  garden^  consii^  in  exactly  that  which  a 


GARDENS  OF  THE  TUILEBIES. 


97 


stranger  would  not  expect  to  find  in  a  palace,  namely  its  law- 
less irregularity.  Sixty-one  windows  in  frorlt  are  divided 
into  nine  compartments,  some  two,  some  three,  and  some 
four  stories  high,  with  a  frontage  of  windows  in  each,  as  fol< 
lows, — 6.7.5.12.3.12.3.7.6.  total  61.  In  one  part  near 
the  centre,  where  the  masonry  is  only  three  stories  high,  are 
no  less  than  four  tiers  of  windows  in  the  blue  slates  above  ; 
indeed,  the  roof  is  so  high  and  grotesque  that  it  not  only 
looks  as  if  the  architect,  for  want  either  of  money  or  stone, 
had  been  obliged  to  finish  off  the  building  with  slates,  but, 
having  done  so,  had  determined  the  {)Osition  of  the  windows^ 
in  the  roof,  by  firing  cannon-shot  at  it — every  hit  to  be  a 
window. 

The  view  from  the  centre  of  the  Palace  must  be — for  it 
had  changed  its  masters  so  often  that  I  felt  no  desire  to  enter 
it — ^very  magnificent. 

In  front,  in  the  gardens  full  of  fiowers  of  all  colours,  es- 
pecially yellow,  is  a  circular  basin  of  Water,  from  which  radi- 
ate in  all  directions  broad  sanded  walks,  separating  the 
various  statues  and  ornaments,  as  also  a  wood  of  horse-chest- 
nut trees,  when  I  beheld  them  in  full  blossom.  Beyond  is 
the  picturesque  Egyptian  obelisk  of  Luxor,  standing  in  front 
of  the  distant  magnificent  triumphal  Arc  de  I'Etoile. 

Around  the  fountains  I  found  a  crowd  of  grown-up  people 
and  children,  all  apparently  with  equal  anxiety  watching 
several  little  8hips,_brigs,  and  schooners,  they  hadilaunched. 
One,  with  the  tricolor  flag  drooping  from  its  tiny  mast,  had 
got  into  a  corner,  where  it  was  becalmed ;  another,  veered 
round  by  a  gentle  breeze,  was  taken  aback.  On  one,  nearly 
in  the  middle,  a  gentleman,  standing  with  his  head  uncovered, 
had  embarked,  to  the  delight  of  everybody,  his  black  hat. 
On  the  centre  stone,  surrounded  by  the  water,  a  large  swan, 
with  his  neck  elegantly  bent,  was  cleaning  his  snow-white 
breast  with  his  bright  red  bill  bordered  with  black.  As  the 
vessel  with  the  hat  slowly  approached  him,  he  opened  his 
wings  from  his  sides  in  anger.  Above  him,  on  the  empty 
stone  cup,  were  hopping  two  or  three  sparrows,  as  if,  in  their 
little  way,  to  demonstrate  to  the  human  race  watching  them 
the  infinite  variety  of  Nature. 

Around,  in  various  direqiions,  was  a  scene  equally  happy 
and  innocent.     Ladies  with  neautiful  parasols  were  sitting  on 

'6 


9^' 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS^ 


benches;  on  rush-bbttomed  chairs,  shaded  by  trees,  ytett' 
groups   of  respeotable-iooking  nurses   ("bonnes"),  wearing^, 
white   aprons;  some  reading,  some  working  with  needles.; 
Then  strolled  by  a  stout  Englishman  in  a  predicament  in 
which  no  Frenchman  ever  allows  himself  to  appear  in  public, 
namely,  with  a  lady  oil  each  arm — -termed  by  the  Parisians 
"Panier  It  deux  anses."*    Three  Or  four  little  girls  were 
skipping,  several  had  hoops,  one  or  two  large  air  balls ;  here 
sat  an  old  gentleman  with  his  chin  leaning  on  his  gold-headed 
cane ;  there  strolled  ailotg  a  party  of  soldiers. »  >  Three  or 
fpur  "  bonnes  "  were  sitting  together,  each  with  a  sleeping 
baby  prostrate  on  the  very  brink  of  her  lap ;  farther  off  was 
a  younger  nurse  in  a  sugar-loaf  cap,  with  flaps  hanging  down-r 
Wd^rds  like  a  butterfly's  wings,  holding  a  parasot  over  her  tiny 
charge;  another  was  pretending  to  drive  with  broad  scarlet' 
reins  a  little  boy  in  a  deep  blue  velvet  frock.     Before  them- 
was  a  child  three  years  old  leading  an  Italian  greyhound  that 
kept  jumping  around  it ;  close  to  me,  nurses  with  horizontal 
backs  were   stooping   downwards,  trying  to  make  ehildren. 
walk.     Everybody — ^nine-tenths  of  them  were  women   and- 
children — seemed  desirous  to  contribute  to  the  picture  some : 
beautiful  or,  at  all  events,  some  striking  colour  ;  in  short,  it  - 
was  altogether  a  stange  miixture  of  well-dressed  people,  qul-^ 
escent  on  chairs,  and  of  bright  colours  in  motion. 

I  had  been  adnliring  this  joyous  scene,  the  features  of' 
which,  besides  their  happiness,  had  to  me  the  charm  of  novelty. 
Like  Adam  wandering  about  Paradise,  I  had  been  enjoying 
the  discoveries  which  every  moment  and .  almost   every  turn 
brou^t  to  view.     I  had  gazed  sometimes  at  a  statue,  then  at 
a  beautiful  fountain  ;  then  at  the  flowers  of  the  horse-chestnut 
trees  in  bloom.     I  had  admired  the  shadows,  and  then,  ifi 
possible,  still  more  the  gorgeous  sunshine  of  this  world,  when- 
all  of  a  sudden,  as  I  was  searching  for  new  pleasures,  with 
an  appetite  that  had  increased  in  proportion  as  it  had  been* 
gratified,  I  saw,  almost  before  me,  a  neat-looking  summer-'- 
house  or  building,  on  which  was  inscribed  the  word  "  Cabinet.".- 
Now,  besides  being  next  door  to  a  house  oh  which  was  in-t 
scribed  "Salons  et  Cabinets,"  I  had  been  reading  that  very: 
morning  in  Galignani's  Guide  all  about:  f  Le  Cabinet  d'His-; 


♦  A  basket  with  two  handles. 


^ 


;,ii« 


GARDENS  OF  THE  TUILEBIES. 


<m 


toire  Naturelle,"  "Le  Cabinet  d'Anatomie,"  beside*  wbioh 
tbe  French  newspapers  bad  been  full  of  abuse  of  tbe  erooked^ 
policy  of  the  "  Cabinet  of  London,"  and  of  the  antirrepubli-; 
can  feelings  of  the  "  Cabinets  of  Europe ;''  so  I  thought  that: 
as  the  door  of  the  "  cabinet "  before  me  was  wide  open,  I 
would  go  and  search  out  what  it  contained.  In  two  seconds 
the  object  of  ftiy  curiosity  was  accomplished,  and,  full  of  ap- 
probation of  what  I  had  seen,  I  was  instantly  about  to  retire, 
when  there  flitted  across  my  conscience  an  admonition  that 
there  might  perhaps  be  something  I  ought  in  honour  to  pay 
for  the  knowledge  I  had  obtained,  and  I  was  in  a  dilemma 
from  which  I  did  not  exactly  know  how  to  extricate  myself, 
when,  by  a  piece  of  that  extraordinary  good  fortune  which  ha^ 
occasionally  brightened  my  chequered  course  through  life, 
there  popped  out  of  a  small  door  close  beside  me  a  very  well- 
dressed  gentleman,  who,  if  he  had  dropped  from  the  clouds, 
could  not  have  appeared  before  me  more  opportunely. 

With  a  superabundance  of  useless  words,  for  to  tell  the 
truth  I  could  not,  off  hand,  frame  the  question  exactly  to  my 
satisfaction,  I  asked  him  to  be  so  good  as  to  tell  m^  whether 
in  going  away  I  had  anything  to  pay  for  having  entered  the 
establishment.  With  a  kind  bow,  he  said,  "  Monsieur,  vous 
payerez  en  sortant  a  droite."* 

■i  Accordingly,  with  a  firm  step  I  walked  along  the  passage 
to  the  point  indicated,  where,  to  my  surprise,  and  I  may  truly* 
add  confusion,  I  saw,  seated  close  before  me  needle- working 
a  very  small  piece  of  fine  muslin,  a  beautiful  lady  in  a  most 
beautiful  cap ! 

In  one  moment  I  perceived  that  the  longer  I  waited  the; 
worse  it  would  be  ;  so,  with  a  very  slight  inclination  of  my- 
head,  with  a  quantity  of  pieces  of  silver  of  different  sizes  all 
teady  in  my  right  hand,  and  with  nobody  looking  at  me,  I 
said  very  gently  and  very  gravely, 

"  Combien,  Madame,  s'il  vous  plait  ?"t 

The  last  word  was  hardly  out  of  my  lips  when,  screwing 
her  mouth  up  into  the  politest  description  of  smUe,  she  replied, 

"  Monsieur,  c'est  quatre  (she  called  it '  cat ')  sous  l"| 


*  Sh*,  you  will  pay  on  your  right  as  you  go  out. 
+  How  much,  Madam,  if  you  please  ? 
J  Sir,  it  is  twojpeuce. 


tt  • 


100 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENVn  STICKS. 


I  put  into  her  white  hand  a  piece  of  five  sous,  and  with- 
out waiting  for  my  halfpenny,  walked  away  muttering  to  my- 
self, after  a  long-drawn  sigh,  "  Well  I  .  .  .  it's  worth  coming 
from  London  by  rail  to  Dover,  by  steam  to  Calais,  and  then 
all  the  way  up  to  Paris,  to  see  that  I" 


•  •  >■ 


PAVILLON  DE  L'HORLOaE. 


In  the  Champs  Elys6es,  on  the  left  of  the  grand  prome- 
nade, I  found  standing  a  great  crowd  of  persons,  gazing  ap- 
parently at  an  equal  quantity  sitting.  I  asked  one  of  the 
former  how  I  could  become  one  of  the  latter.  With  his 
stick  he  pointed  where  I  was  to  go. 

"  What  am  I  to  pay  ?"   I  inquired. 

"  Nothing,"  he  answered ;  "  you  will  merely  order  what 
you  like." 

Proceeding  in  the  direction  indicated,  I  found  myself  in 
the  recr  of  the  sitting  multitude,  and,  with  nothing  and  no- 
body to  obstruct  my  entrance,  I  slowly  walked  through  them, 
until,  arriving  at  a  chair  and  a  little  table  unoccupied,  I  sat 
down  an  "  enfant  de  famille." 

The  congregation  was  composed  of  thirty  or  forty 
rows  of  chairs  and  very  small  tables,  at  which  were  seated, 
in  happy  repose,  groups  of  quietly  dressed  people  and 
soldiers.  On  almost  every  table  I  observed  either  a  bottle 
of  water,  a  snlall  glass  of  brandy  with  three  lumps  of  sugar, 
coflFee  and  a  glass  of  brandy,  or  one  or  two  bottles  of  beer. 
In  fact,  as  I  had  been  informed,  the  rule  is,  that  in  lieu  of 
paying  any  entrance-money,  people  are  merely  required, 
somehow  or  other,  and  in  any  way  they  best  like,  to  spend 
10  sous  (5<3?.),  for  which,  in  addition  to  coffee,  &c.,  they  re- 
ceive an  enjoyment  of  a  very  superior  nature. 

Immediately  in  front  of  them  was  a  beautiful  little  con- 
cave temple,  the  whole  of  the  inside  of  which,  brilliantly  il- 
luminated with  six.  lustres  full  of  imitation  candles  lighted 
^y.g^s,  was  a  mass  of  plate-glass,  gold  borders,  flowers,  and 
white  enamelled  paint.     Within  this  small  interior  were  five 


PAVILION  DE  VnOIiLOGE. 


101 


Toung  ladies  fashionably  dressed,  two  in  pale  blue  silk,  two 
in  straw-colored  silk,  and  one  in  milk-white  stiff  muslin,  with 
a  pink  sash.  Mixed  up  with  them  were  two  dandified  young 
men  with  short  brushy  beards,  white  neckcloths,  and  glossy 
hair  neatly  plastered  to  their  heads.  All  held  in  their  hands 
quite  new  wnite  kid  gloves.  In  front  of  this  elevated  tem- 
ple, which,  in  point  of  beauty  and  splendor,  appeared  fit  for 
the  reception  of  Venus  herself,  was  an  orchestra,  containing 
four  or  five  fiddles,  as  many  wind  instruments,  two  violoncel- 
los, and  at  each  end  a  powerful  able-bodied  double-bass.  On 
the  right  and  left,  outside  the  ground  belonging  to  the  pro- 
prietor, were  to  be  seen  the  faces  of  the  crowd  I  had  left, 
economically  waiting  to  catch  for  nothing  as  much  as  they 
could. 

Monsieur,  ^u'est-ce  que  vous  prendrez  ?"*  said  to  me  one 
of  six  waiters,  m  white  neckcloths  and  white  aprons,  in  various 
directions,  attending  upon  the  seated  audience.  I  was  not 
quite  prepared  all  of  a  sudden  to  drink  beer,  brandy,  or  coffee ; 
so,  with  an  almost  imperceptible  but  significant  nod,  as  I  told 
the  garqon  I  would  not  trouble  him,  I  slipped  into  his  hand 
a  franc,  for  which  he  did  exactly  what  I  did  not  want  him  to 
do — made  me  a  low  bow. 

One  of  the  young  ladies  now  rose  from  her  chair,  and,  ac- 
companied by  the  orchestra,  sang  a  pretty  little  song  very 
nicely.  As  soon  as  it  was  concluded,  and  she  had  taken  her 
seat,  with  the  eyes  of  everybody  shining  full  upon  her,  she  re- 
ceived with  well-affected  modesty  the  compliments  of  the  young 
ladies  beside  her  ;  and  for  a  considerable  time  they  sat  making 
pretty  mouths  at  each  other,  and  pushing  their  finfors  into 
their  tight  new  white  kid  gloves.  Sometimes — ju^*^  ^s  poor, 
witty  Theodore  Hook  used  to  pour  out  a  glass  of  chai^ipagne, 
and  then,  as  he  said,  "  bow  to  the  6pergne  " — one  of  them, 
looking  straight  before  her  over  the  heads  of  the  audience, 
would,  showing  all  her  white  teeth,  smile  at  apparently  nothing 
but  empty  space.  With  similar  little  innocent  coquetries  the 
inmates  of  the  temple  all  sang  in  their  turns.  Their  voices 
were  not  strong,  but  as  the  band  carefully  abstained  from  over- 
powering them,  they  performed  their  simple  airs  with  consider- 
able taste,  and  appeared  to  give  their  attentive,  respectable, 
and  well-conducted  audience  streams  of  placid  satisfaction. 

*  What  will  you  take,  Sir? 


m 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENOH  STICKS. 


The  eool  air  was  deli^htfiil ;  and  as  I  happened  to  be  to  windt 
ward  of  tiie  few  smokers  present,  I  oould  not  help  feeling  yerjr 
thankful  I  was  not  in  the  impure,  heated  atmosphere  of  an 
Opera-house. 


>•• 


LA  MADELEINE. 


In  crossing  the  Place  de  la  Madeleine,  I  stopped  for  a  few 
minutes  to  look  at  the  beautiful  facade  of  the  church,  and  as 
several  people  were  ascending  its  steps,  I  followed  them  intb 
its  interior,  during  the  performance  of  high  mass. 

Ob  entering  I  was  much  struck  with  the  excellent  musio 
'^resounding,  tliroughout  the  building.  In  England,  a  church 
organ  is  very  apt  not  only  to  be  uproarious,  but  tyrannically 
to  overwhelm  the  audience  with  its  powers.  Here  it  was  sub- 
servient to  the  human  voice.  Sometimes  it  appeared  to  be 
dheeridg  it  on— ■»  ometinies  in  silence  to  be  listening  to  it,  and 
only  to  chime  in  when  absolutely  required. 

The  service  was  arranged  and  executed  with  great  science 
afid  taste.  The  best,  the  shrillest,  as  well  as  the  sweetest 
voices,  appeared  to  proceed  from  behind  the  altar,  but,  from 
wherever  they  came,  they  reached  the  roof  as  well  as  every 
portion  of  the  building. 

.  Before  the  altar  there  occasionally  stood,  with  his  back  to- 
wards the  .congriBgation,  a  single  priest — ^then  three  alongside 
of  each  other- — ^then  two,  one  before  the  other.  "  Then  canie 
wandering  by  a  sptirit  like  an  angel"  in  white  robes — he  bowed 
in  gliding  by, "  and  so  h6  vanished."  On  each  side  of  the  altar 
were  a  row  of  young  handsome  boys,  dresse^4n  bright  scarlet 
caps,  bright  scarlet  cloaks,  oyer  which  were  snow-white  short 
surplices,  confined  rouhd  the  waist  b^  a  broad  light-green  sash, 
the  ends  of  which  hung  at  the  left  side. 

The  changes  wrought  in. this  picture  by  the  simple  move- 
ment 0^  this  scarlet  cap  had  evidently  been  well  studied,  and 
'  produced  very  striking  effects.     At  a  particular  part  of  the 
setviee  thd  boy's  black  shinitfg  hair  was  suddenly  displayed, 
and  the  cap  held  in  the  off  hand  had  apparently  vanished.  ^ 


LA  MADELBINB, 


108 


r;»' 


At  another  moment  the  blbod-red  ocip  was  seen,  held  by  both 
rows  of  boys  on  their  breasts  next  to  the  congregation — then 
it  ky  on  their  white  laps — and  then,  on  their  rising  from  their 
feats,  it  suddenly  appeared  again  on  their  heads. 
K4  In  contrast  to  these  boys  there  occasionally,  from  behind 
the  altar,  glided  into  view  some  pale-looking  priests  in  jet 
black  gowns,  surmounted,  like  those  of  the  boys,  by  short  white 
surplices.  During  these  ceremonies,  and  while  two  powerful 
assistants  in  white  gowns,  jet  black  hair,  and  crimson  sashes, 
were  swinging,  incense,  the  shrill  notes  of  a  single  boy  behind 
the  altar  were  suddenly  drowned  by  a  chorus  of  fine  voices, 
which  gradually  subsided  into  the  deep  double  bass  notes  of 
one  or  two  priests. 

The  service  was  on  the  whole  admirably  performed,  and,  ta 
those  ^ho  have  been  taught  to  revere  it,  must  be  highly  im«' 
pressive.  After  the  elevation  of  the  host,  the  wafer  was  ad* 
ministered  to  several  persons  in  the  front  row  next  to  the  altar, 
and  a  large  basket  of  broken  bread,  in  colour  and  consistency 
strongly  resembling  what  is  commonly  called  sponge  cake^  was 
•distributed  to  the  congregation,  almost  everv  one  of  whom 
partook  of  it.  It  was  carried  throughout  the  church  by  a 
priest,  preceded  by  a  person  upwards  of  six  feet  high,  dressed 
an  a  gold-laced  cooked  hat,  worn  cross-ways,  It  la  Napoleon,  an 
embroidered  coat,  with  an  epaulette  on  one  shoulder  and  crim- 
BOtt  trappings  on  the  other,  a  swurd,  crimson  plush  knee-breeohea 
.ornamented  with  gold,  white  stockings,  ana  black  shoes.  « 

a-  When  the  service  was  about  three-quarters  over,  a  man  at 
one  end  of  the  church  and  a  woman  at  the  other,  both  velc^ 
gaudily  dressed,  were  seen  worming  their  way  to  every  person 
present,  from  each  of  whom  a  slight  money  transaction  was  iw' 
-king  place.  Everybody  gave  something,  and  about  every  third 
•person  teeeived  back  something.  When  the  woman  eame  to 
me  I  gave  her  a  frano,  upon  which  she  fumbled  for  some  time 
in  her  pocket,  and  returned  me  an  amount  of  cash  apparently 
more  than  I  had  given  to  her.  I  felt  it  would  not  be  decorous 
to  decline  to  take  it,  or  proper  to  inquire  of  my  neighbour — 
even  in>  a  whispeis — 'What  was  the  object  of  the  benevolence.  It 
proved,  however,  to  be  a  slight  payment  for  the  chair  I  had 
occupied.  '•nii  Vy. 

As  soon  as  the  service  was  over,  more  than  three-quarters  of 
the  congregation  left  the  church,  and,i7ith  a  full  intention  to 


104 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


follow  the  stream,  I  was  lingering  to  take  a  last  look  at  tke 
altar,  when  I  oboaeryed  two  or  three  priests  most  aotiyely  em- 
ployed  in  hurrying  off  every  glittering  object,  and  in  oovering 
it  with  black  trappings.  At  a  side  altar  in  the  centre  of  the 
church  similar  preparations  were  making,  and  the  alterations 
were  scarcely  effeeted,  when  the  great  gates  of  the  church  were 
thrown  open,  and  a  procession  of  people  in  mourning,  marked 
with  rain-drons,  slowly  walked  up  the  aisle.  In  a  few  seconds 
there  followed  four  well-dressed  men,  bearing,  covered  with 
dingy  white  serge  trappings,  a  coffin,  on  which  rested  a  milk- 
white  wreath  of  immortelles. 

The  coffin  was  deposited  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  and 
those  of  the  oongreeation  not  seated  were  gathering  around  it, 
when  I  heard  a  pnest  say,  "  II  y  aura  un  autre  I"*  and  the 
words  were  hardly  out  of  his  mouth  when  the  "  rap-a-tap-tap  " 
of  a  couple  of  muffled  drums  was  heard  outside  the  great 
gates,  which  instantly  rolled  open  to  admit  about  twenty 
soldiers  of  the  National  Guard,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  persons 
of  apparently  every  condition  of  life.  As  soon  as  all  had 
entered,  the  corporal  in  command  gave  the  word  of  command— > 
**  Beposez-vous  sur  vos  armes  T'f  on  which  the  butts  of  the 
muskets  reverberated  against  the  hard  pavement.  After  wait- 
ing a  few  minutes,  the  word — "  Portez  vos  armes  1";^  was  given, 
in  compliment  to  the  coffin  which  now  entered  the  church. 

On  its  lid  were  the  scarlet  epaulettes,  the  drawn  sword  and 
empty  scabbard,  the  one  crossed  over  the  other,  of  its  inmate, 
and  the  bodv,  guarded  by  its  comrades,  proceeded  towards  the 
little  altar,  before  which  it  halted. 

While  the  rich  man's  requiem  was  resounding  from  the  great 
altar,  the  soldier's  funeral  was  going  on  at  the  little  one.  There 
were  the  same  words, — the  same  gestures, — and  the  same  holy 
ceremonies.  Oandles  were  burning  round  each  of  the  two 
corpses,  and  while  the  service  of  the  rich  one  was  dignified  and 
continuous,  that  of  the  soldier  was  interrupted  not  only  by  little 
words  of  command  from  the  corporal,  but,  on  the  elevation  of 
the  host,  by  the  sudden  roll  of  tne  two  muffled  drums.  It  was 
striking  to  see  the  power  and  authority  of  the  Army  existing 
within  the  Walls  of  the  church,  and  the  stiff,  motionless,  upright 
attitude  of  the  soldiers,  who  during  the  whole  ceremony  wore 

*  There  will  be  another  1 
f  Order  arms.  \  Shoulder  arms. 


ZA  MADELiyS. 


105 


thoir  shakos,  was  strangely  oontrasted  with  the  varied  obeisanoos 
and  white  and  black  vestures  of  the  bare-headed  priest. 

The  military  service  was  first  oonolnded,  and  on  the  depar- 
ture of  the  priest  I  was  about  also  to  move,  when  I  observed 
that  the  ceremony  was  still  not  quite  over. 

The  last  operation  of  the  holy  father  had  been  to  sprinkle 
with  a  hair  brush,  the  silver  handle  of  which  was  about  eighteen 
inches  long,  the  coffin,  epaulettes,  sword,  and  scabbard  of  the 
dead  soldier  with  holy  water. 

With  the  same  brush  the  chief  mourner  slightly  repeated 
the  oeremony-~crossed  himself — and  then  handed  it  to  his  next 
comrade,  who,  after  goin^  through  the  same  movements,  handed 
it  to  the  next  in  the  procession,  and  so  on.  As  there  was  no 
supply  of  water,  the  brush  was  of  course  nearly  dry,  and,  as 
the  ceremony  appeared  almost  endless,  I  got  quite  tired  of  it, 
and  was  therefore  just  about  to  retire,  when  I  observed  among 
the  procession,  following  some  men  in  common  blue  linen 
frocks  and  trowsers,  a  few  women,  several  of  whom  were  in 
tears. 

The  men  in  the  blouses  paid  very  little  attention  to  the 
coffin,  and  merely  made  over  it  two  or  three  apparently  heart- 
less movements, — as,  however,  the  women  approached,  I  ob- 
served that  their  feelings  became  stronger.  The  first  wo- 
man, on  receiving  the  brush  from  the  last  man,  was  barely 
able  to  wave  it  over  the  immortelles,  scarlet  epaulettes, 
drawn  sword  and  empty  scabbard  lying  on  the  lid  of  the 
coffin ; — the  second,  a  young  person  of  about  twenty,  ex- 
hibited a  picture  I  shall  not  readily  forget.  On  receiving 
the  brush  she  burst  into  bitter  tears — trembled — tottered — 
could  not  look  at  the  coffin.  I  thought  she  would  have 
dropped ;  at  last,  in  a  frenzy  of  grief,  she  stepped  forward, 
waved  the  brush  twice  over  the  corpse — ^hurriedly  delivered  \i. 
to  some  one  else,  then,  putting  both  her  hands  to  her  eyes 
and  pressing  them  against  her  forehead,  she  reeled  against 
me,  and  then,  staggering  onwards  a  few  paces,  she  stood  still, 
evidently  bereft  of  her  senses,  and  altogether  overwhelmed. 
The  third  woman  was  also  much  grieved,  but  the  remainder 
of  the  sex  less  or  but  little  affected. 

The  same  ceremopy  of  pretending  with  a  dry  brush  to 
sprinkle  the  coffin  with  holy  water  was  afterwards  performed 
over  the  body  of  the  rich  man  by  his  relations  and  followers, 


JXB 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEFNCH  STICKS. 


<batf6r  soine  reason  or  othiBr,  which  I  have  not  the  slightest 
desire  to  know,  very  little— to  tell  the  truth — no  grief  Wh»t- 
•(ftv^lp  was  evinced;  indeed,  one  little  girl  of  about  nine  years 
old,  after  giving  two  or  three  dabs,  looked  around  her  with  a 
sweet  innocent  face,  and  laughiBd. 

'■  '  When  all  was  over,  after  I  had  madt  my  exit  from  the 
ohurch,  and,  with  my  umbrella  over  my  head,  had  reached 
•the  magnificent  flight  of  steps,  by  which  I  descended  to  the 
foot  pavement,  I  happened  to  see  the  woman  who  had  been  so 
grievously  affected  at  the  soldier's  funeral.  Although  it  was 
raining  unrelentingly,  their  tears,  as  for  a  few  moments  they 
stood  together,  repeatedly  dropped  upon  the  wet  pavement. 
'They  then,  careless  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  kissed 
each  other  several  times — stooped,  kissed,  and  cried  over  the 
-heads  of  one  or  two  little  children  who  came  up  to  them,  and 
then,  after  another  last  kissing  farewell  of  each  other,  they 
pattered  through  the  rain  on  foot,  in  different  directionis, 
towards  their  respective  homes. 


-♦-•-•- 


PSEPARATIONS  FOR  THE  FETE  OF  THE 

REPUBLIC. 


Besides  the  perennial,  or  rather  perpetual,  gaiety  which  ill 
■  all  weathers  and  in  all  seasons  characterises  Paris,  on  my 
arrival  there  I  observed  in  almost  every  direction  workmen 
and  artists  employed  in  arrangements,  more  or  less  inconi- 
prehensible,  which,  I  was  informed,  were  in  honour  of,  and  ill 
preparation  for,  the  "grand  f^te  of  the  Republic." 
'       Some  were  erecting  poles,  others  constructing  scaffolding. 
'  Here  I  observed  a  crane  lifting,  as  slowly  as  if  it  had  been  a 
'locomotive  engine,  a  sea-horse's  fore-leg ;  beiieath  it  several 
carts  laden  with  moss^.  grass,  and  fir-trees.     There,  two  or 
three  m^n  in  blouses  were  as  carefully  hoigting  to  its  destina- 
tion (the  summit,  of  a,  pole)  the  pensive  colossal  head  of  a 
'  statesman.     In  another  direction,  a  tall,  cyliiidrical  canvas 
screen,  occasionally  flapping  ,ii*  the  wind,  concealed  an  artist, 
from  morning  till  night,  working  behind  it.     Now  and  ^en 


FETE  OF  THE  BEPUBLIO. 


107 


there  trotted  by  a  cart  laden  with  huge  baskets  full  of  roa^- 
fiaccd  apples,  as  big  as  pumpkins.  Then  were  to  be  seen  m^ii 
and  boys  hurrying  along  with  arms  full  of  boughs,  glass 
globes,  wire,  candles,  bundles  of  flags.  One  fine-looking  man, 
trith  a  face  exceedingly  hot,  was  carrying  a  gold  eagle, 
beneath  which  was  inscribed  "  Honneur  et  Patrie."* 

The  rapidity  with  which— out  of  this  chaos  of  confusion — 
order,  syiiimetry,  and  the  creation  of  an  infinite  variety  of 
beautiful  objects  were  eflFected,  it  would  be  almost  impossible 
io  describe.  For  instance,  over  the  principal  arch  of  the  Pont 
tie  la  Concorde  I  observetd  a  gang  of  workmen  in  beards  or 
'mudtachios,  directed  by  one  or  two  gentlemen  with  books  in 
their  hands,  and  surrounded  by  an  incomprehensible  conglc- 
meration  of  gigantic  human  limbs,  horses'  legs,  fishes'  tails, 
wooden  packing-cases  of  different  sizes,  with  barrels  and  bags 
<in  piles  of  plaster,  moving,  and;  with  ihe  assistance  of  cranes 
and  pulleys,,  lifting  these  various  masses. 

On  passing  the  spot  the  following  day,  I  beheld  a  magni- 
ficent and  stupendoiis  group  of  figures — representing  the 
'Genius  of  Navigation;  surrounded  by  Tritons  and  sea-horses 
— covered  with  workmen  in  blouses,  swarming  like  bees,  and 
crawling  like  mic,  about  the  snow-white  colossal  figures  they 
were  now  rapidly  completing,  and  which  appeared  standing 
on  a  mass  of  artificial  rocks,  descending  to  the  water's  edge, 
over  which  was  to  be  precipitated  ah  artificial  cascade,  repre- 
•senting  the  most  beautiful  falls  of  natural  water.  The  rocks 
(the  wooden  packing-cases  I  have  seen)  were  not  only  beauti- 
. fully  painteji  and  covered  with  moss,. but,  as  if  by  the  hand 
of  nature,  otriamented  with  real  pine-trees,  some  of  which  ap- 
peared lying  prostrate,  as  if  blCHira  down  by  one  element,  and 
about  to  be  carried  away  by  another.  Again,  at  the  end  of 
the  bridge  there  stood  inimediately  before  me  that  magnifi- 
cent building  called  the  National  Assembly,  the  house  of 
parliament  of  the  Bepublio.  * 

On  the  landing-place  beneath  the  colonnade,  and  on  the 
flight  of  iong  steps  by  which  it  is  approached,  were  standing  iu 
dense  masses,  and  in  various  attitudes,  soldiers  in  bluislr-grey 
coats,  red  epaulettes,  scarlet  trowsers,  and  glittering  cap- 
plates.    Above  their  heads,  hanging  against  the  white  wall, 


i^ . 


*  Honour  and  the  <K>imtry. 


108 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENCH  STICKS, 


and  between  twelve  lofty  Corintliian  columns,  were  a  variety 
of  tri'Ooloured  flags,  of  which  the  blue  and  scarlet  were  par- 
ticularly vivid.  In  the  middle  was  a  large  gold  omament: 
as  if  to  assimilate  with  the  gilt  horizontal  bars  and  tops  oi 
the  iron  railings  which  protect  the  bottom  of  the  steps.  On 
the  right  and  left  of  the  assembly  was  a  long  embryo  colon- 
nade, composed  at  first  of  nothing  but — at  regular  distances, 
and  standing  upright  out  of  the  ground — a  series  of  logs  of 
timber,  which  the  next  day  appeared  converted,  by  briok- 
nogging,  into  columns,  connected  together  by  horizonal  logs. 
In  this  state  I  left  them  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  three  or  four 
hours  repassing  the  spot,  I  found  that,  while  I  had  been  going 
over  one  public  institution,  the  columns  had  almost  aU  not 
only  been  covered  with  painted  canvas  admirably  represent- 
ing porphyry,  with  gilt  capitals,  but  had  been  surmounted  by 
shields  and  a  beautiful  set  of  vases,  eight  or  ten  feet  hiirh, 
overflowing  with  flowers.  ^  ^' 

Again,  in  passing  in  front  of  the  Church  de  la  Madeleine, 
before  which  the  day  previous  I  had  observed  some  myste 
rious  preparations,  I  found  the  whole  of  its  front — excepting 
the  superscription — 

"LiBKKTE,  Fbaternh^  Eoalit^" 

above  the  great  entrance  door — completely  covered  with  fes- 
toons and  curtains  of  gold,  silver,  and  crimson  tissue,  the 
columns  being  connected  together  by  garlands  of  coloured 
lamps. 

Again,  in  approaching  thej.Seine,  I  found  on  both  sides  of 
it,  rejoicing  in  the  air,  and  a|wost  touching  each  other,  a  line 
of  flags  of  various  colours,  all  bright ;  while  I  was  admiring 
them,  the  various  vessels,  barges,  and  bathing-houses  moored 
in  the  river,  to  join  in  the  universal  joy,  were  rapidly  decked 
out  with  similar  pieces  of  bunting,  of  which  the  blue,  white, 
and  red  were  particularly  and  appropriately  conspicuous. 

Among  all  the  beautiful  preparations  making  to  expend, 
as  has  been  customary  for  many  years,  nearly  400,000  francs 
—-voted  partly  by  the  National  Assembly  and  partly  by  tlie 
city — ^for  a  fete  which  latterly,  on  the  4th  of  May,  has  oelo* 
brated  the  anniversary  of  the  Republic,  there  was  one,  how- 
ever which  I  own  very  much  astonished  me.    I  had  been 


FETE  OF  THE  BEPUBLIO. 


109 


delighted  with  the  oonstmotion  of  the  double  row  of  magni- 
ficent colossi^l  statues  of  great  men  who  gradually  before  my 
eyes  liad  burst  into  existence ;  had  admired  the  preparations 
on  the  bridge  leading  to  the  National  Assembly,  as  also  those 
in  front  as  well  as  oh  the  right  and  left  of  that  handsome 
building;  had  taken  quite  an  interest  in  the  preparations  for 
a  regatta  or  boat-race  on  the  Seine,  as  well  as  for  the  fire- 
works in  the  various  localities  in  which  they  were  to  appear, 
and  which  severally  had  been  appropriately  decked  out  for 
the  occasion  ;  but  I  could  neither  understand  the  propriety, 
nor  altogether  approve,  of  the  preparations  I  witnessed  for 
ornamenting  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  already  the  most 
highly  ornamented  spot  in  creation,  namely,  the  Place  de  la 
Concorde.  For  instance,  I  roughly  counted  in  that  strange 
magnificent  place  of  many  names  (on  which — ^bo  it  remem- 
bered— on  the  21st  of  January,  1793,  Louis  XVI.  was  guil- 
lotined, and  across  which,  on  the  24th  of  February,  1848, 
Louis  Philippe  fied,  never  to  return)  no  less  than — 

1.  Two  groups  in  marble,  each  representing  a  restive 
horse  struggling  with  its  keeper. 

2.  Two  lions,  each  with  his  tail  curled  round  his  left 

leg. 

3.  Eighteen  lofty  gilt  Oorinthian  columns,  each  surmount- 
ed by  a  gilt  globe,  illuminated  by  two  gilt  lamps. 

4.  Thirty-eight  smaller  Corinthian  columns,  partially  gilt, 
each  bearing  one  gilt  lamp. 

5.  Eight  allegorical  figures,  representing  the  eight  chief 
provincial  towns  in  France. 

6.  Two  magnificent  fountains,  each  composed  of  ten  fe- 
male figures  of  sea  nymphs,  &c.,  holding  in  their  arms  and 
— without  metaphor — ^wet-nursing,  with  magnificent  streams 
of  cold  water,  sturdy  dolphins;  two  gigantic  male  figures, 
and  three  children,  all  in  bronze. 

7.  Thirteen  beautiful  colossal  statues  on  lofty  bases. 

8.  One  magnificent  central  Egyptian  red  obelisk  from 
Luxor,  with  gold  inscription,  surrounded  by  rails  partially  gilt. 

Now,  on  the  common,  homely  principle  of  "letting  well 
alone,"  one  might  have  expected  it  would  have  been  deemed 
not  only  unnecessary,  but  almost  impossible,  to  make  the  Place 
de  la  Concorde  more  beautiful  than  it  was.  It  had  been  de- 
termined, however,  to  give  to  it  the  greatest  of  all  oharms-— 


no 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


especially  in  Pans— ^nanielV)  that  of  novelty ;  and  aooordingly 
notwithstanding  repeated  showers  of  rain  I  observed  men  and 
boys,  with  cartloads  and  armsful  of  boughs,  employed  in  con* 
verting  all  the  semi-naked  figures  of  both  fountains  into  beau- 
tiful bushes  of  evergreens,  atld  their  splendid  basins  into  trel- 
lised  baskets,  which,  first  painted  and  while  the  colour  was 
quite  wet  (indeed,  it  had  not  been  brushed  on  two  minutes), 
then  partially  gilt,  were  rapidly  filled  with  artificial  fruit  and 
flowers,  the  whole  being  ornamented  in  all  directions  and  in 
,most  beautiful  festoons  with  coloured  and. also  with  white  semi- 
opaque  ground  glass  lamps,  increasing  in  magnitude  from  the 
extremities  to  the  centre  x>f  each  of  the  curved  lines  by  which 
they  were  suspended. 

The  fifty-dix  gilt  columns  I  have  enumerated,  not  only 
■around  the  circumference,  but  diaffonally  across  the  centre  of 
■the  place,  were  connected  together  i>y  long  and  elegant  wreaths 
of  variegated  lamps. 

The  uumeirous  statues,  and  innumerable  gilt  glittering  Anted 
43olumns  were  enlivened  by  a  confused  medley  of  brilliant  tri- 
coloured  pennants,  some  forked  and  some  pointed,  the  whol^ 
bounded'on  the  left  by  the  new,  fresh  peagreen  foliage  of  the 
trees  of  the  gardens  of  the  Tuilerids,  and  on  the  right  by 
those  of  the  Champs '  Elys^es.  '  The  Yough  asphalte  p&vement 
was  literally  swarming  alive  with  a  dense  mass  of  carriages, 
carts,  horses,  'buses,  and  human  beings  in  clothes  and  uniforms 
of  all  colours.  Lastly,  the  sun  of  heaven  was  gilding  and 
'  painting  the  whole  scene  in  its  gayest  and  gaudiest  hues.  . 

"  Where,"  said  I,  to  a  man,  nearly  as  old  as  myself,  dressed 
.in  a  blouse,  and  who  was  standing  close  to  me,  "  where,  if  you 
please,  are  the  principal  fireworks  to  take  place  ?" 

Either  he  or  I  had  that  morning,  in  anticipation  of  the 
f£te,  been  drinking  a  good  deal  of  wine  of  rather  a  strong 
^ smell;  and  accordingly,  when  ho  grasped  tightlv  hold  of  my 
arm,  and  pointed  with  the  forefinger  of  his  left  hand  towarcis  ^ 
.the  distant  dome  of  the  Invalides,  we  both  vibrated  a  little.  ' 
}y  Tenez,  inon  garqon !"  *  said  my  instructor,  kindly  trying, 
.notwithstanding  pur  staggering,  to  point  the  spot— which  ap- 
parently kept  moving — ^out  to  me.  "C'est*  •  •  •  *  -ment 
loind'ici!    AUez!" 


*  Why,  my  boy  I  its  *****  -ly  far  firom  herel    Axrah. 


ABATTOIR  DE  MONTMABTME, 


lii 


ABATTOIR  DB  MONTMARTRE.  • 


it 


About  half  a  century  ago  there  lited  in  a  coantry  Tillage  in 
!England  as  maid-servant,  a  pleasing-looking  young  woman,  of 
Buoh  delicate  sensibilities  that,  to  use  her  own  expression, 
"  She  couldn't  abear  to  see  a  mouse  killed."  She  married  the 
bntcher.  At  about  the  same  period,  Napoleon,  who  cared  no 
more  for  the  effusion  of  human  blood  than  the  stormy  petrel  cares 
for  the  salt  spray  of  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  from  similar 
sensibilities,  determined  to  cleanse  Paris  from  the  blood  of 
bullocks,  sheep,  pigs,  an''  quadrupeds  of  all  sorts,  by  suppress- 
ing every  description  oi  slaughterhouse  within  the  city,  and 
by  constructing  in  lieu  thereof,  beyond  the  walls,  five  great 
public  abattoirs,  besides  smaller  places  of  execution  'for  pigs, 
and  also  for  horses. 

The  largest  of  these  is  that  of  Popincourt;;  but^  as  the 
greatest  quantity  of  cattle  are  slaughtered  at  Montmartre,  I 
drove  to  the  avenue  Trudame,  where,  on  descending  from  my 
cabriolet,.!  saw  before  mc  a  rectangular  establishment,  resemb- 
ling cavalry  barracks,  surrounded  by  walls  389  yards  length- 
ways by  150  yards  breadthways. 

On  entering  the  iron  gates,  I  found  on  my  left  a  small 
bureau,  which  looked  like  a  guard-room,  and  from  which,  on 
expressing  my  wish  to  go  over  the  establishment,  I  was  very 
civilly  furnished  with  a  conductor. 

In  front  of  the  entrance-gate  was  a  space  shaded  by  trees 
and  bounded  by  a  barrack-looking  building  of  fifteen  windows 
•in  front,  the  residence  of  the  principal  officers.  On  the  right 
and  left,  in  three  parallel  rows,  were  six  sets  of  buildings 
(twelve  in  all)  separated  from  each  Other  by  broad  roads 
which  isolated  each.  Affixed  to  the  walls  of  this  enclosure 
were  other  buildings,  the  j)urposes  of  which  will.be  consecu- 
tively described,  as  also  two  "  abreuvoirs,"  or  watering-places 
for  cattle,  and  one  fountain. 

The  officers  of  the  establishment  consist  of 

. »     .  ' 

*  Slaughterhouse  of  MoBtmarti>(6.'^«i^''»Mf  I    ' 


a  12 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


An  inspector  of  police,  whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the 
whole  interior  of  the  abattoir  is  clean  and  in  a  state  of  "  salu* 
brity ;"  that  there  are  no  disputes  among  the  people  employ- 
ed ;  and  that  the  animals  are  not  beaten  (''qu'on  ne  frappe  pas 
les  animaoz"). 

A  principal  inspector  of  the  "  Bouoheries." 

A  fiub-inspeotor  of  ditto. 

Four  guardians  (surveillans)  of  the  oxen,  sheep,  oalyes, 
&c.  to  be  slaughtered. 

Two  superintendents  for  skinning,  '^  triperie,"  &o. 

Four  men  for  cleaning  the  paved  streets,  &o.,  of  the  in- 
terior. 

One  porter. 

One  gate-keeper  (concierge). 

The  slaughtering  department  is  composed  of  64  slaugh- 
terers, each  of  whom  has  his  slaughterhouse,  his  "  bouverie," 
or  stable  for  cattle,  his  loft  and  granary  for  hay  and  corn,  and 
his  chamber  for  dressing  and  undressing. 

On  walking  to  the  space  in  front  of  the  entrance  gate, 
and  between  it  and  the  garden,  belonging  to  the  barrack-looking 
residence  of  the  officers  above  named,  I  found  within  it,  in 
two  separate  divisions  called  "parks,"  lying  under  the  shade 
of  lilac  and  laburnum  trees  in  blossom,  several  sheep  and  bul- 
.  looks  just  arrived. 

Immediately  adjoining  to  these  enclosures,  common  to  all 
the  64  boucheries,  I  entered  a  lofty  "bouverie"  150  feet  long, 
admirably  ventilated  by  windows  above  on  all  four  sides. 
Down  the  middle  there  ran  before  me  a  broad  passage,  on 
each  side  of  which  were  a  series  of  square  compartments,  25 
feet  long  by  15  feet  broad,  separated  from  each  other  by 
wooden  railings.  In  those  on  my  right  I  Raw,  lying  on  straw 
as  clean  as  that  in  the  show-stables  of  a  London  horse-dealer, 
a  quantity  of  bullocks,  two,  three,  or  four  in  each  cell.  In 
corresponding  cells  on  my  left  were  standing  or  lyings  separ 
rated  from  each  other  by  a  low  partition,  a  number  of  sheep 
and  calves. 

In  the  first  of  these  cells,  on  the  back  of  one  of  a  small 
floi^k  of  sheep,  I  saw,  lying  fast  asleep,  a  shepherd's  dog. 
The  bullocks  and  sheep  were  eating  hay;  the  calves,  my 
conductor  told  me,  had  "  soupe." 

«  What  is  it  made  of?"  I  asked. 


ABATTOIB  DE  MONTMARTRE. 


113 


''  De  la  farine,  des  oenfs,  et  de  I'eau  chaude,"*  was  the  re^ 
ply ;  and  he  added  that  throughont  the  "  bouveries"  there 
was  warm  water  for  the  calves.  Every  cart-load  of  calves, 
the  heads  of  which  are  never  alloweoi  to  hang  outside,  is 
obliged  to  leave  half  of  its  straw  for  their  use  in  the  abattoir. 
There  are  eight  4)0uveries  such  as  the  one  above  described. 

Above  each  line  of  cells  for  bullocks  and  calves  is  a  loft  to 
supply  them  with  hay,  and  adjoining,  are,  open  to  the  air 
and  protected  by  iron  wire,  a  series  of  large  rooms,  contain- 
ing each  a  table  and  a  chair,  in  which  are  to  be  seen,  neatly 
arranged,  the  clothes  and  boots  of  the  butchers,  who,  even  if 
they  had  the  inclination,  are  not  allowed  to  offend  the  citi- 
zens of  Paris  by  appearing  in  the  streets  in  their  professional 
garb. 

Passing  the  four  ".cours  de  travail,"  t  containing  the  64 
slaughtering-houses,  I  was  next  led  to  a  large  building,  in 
which  the  blood  of  the  animals  slaughtered  is  subjected  to  a 
scientific  chemical  process,  under  which,  after  lying  for  some 
time  in  clean,  round,  shallow  tin  pans,  it  is  poured  into  barrels  : 
first,  for  the  purpose  of  refining  sugar ;  and  secondly,  for  ma- 
nuring the  earth.  The  entrails,  after  being  carefully  emptied 
into  a  pit  constructed  for  the  purpose,  and  emptied  every 
day,  are  well  washed  by  an  abundant  supply  of  water. 

On  entering  the  "  triperie"  department,  I  found  a  number 
of  women  employed  in  boiling,  in  a  series  of  coppers  supplied 
by  three  large  vats  of  water,  sheep's  heads  and  calves'  feet. 
An  adjoining  building  appeared  nearly  full  of  sheep's  feet, 
neatly  tied  up— not  as  Nature  had  arranged  them,  in  fours, 
but — ^in  dozens. 

On  entering  a  range  of  48  melting-houses,  admirably  ven- 
tilated, I  was  astonished  to  find  that,  although  they  were 
nearly  full  of  pails  of  tallow,  there  was  no  unpleasant  smell. 
Above  are  a  series  of  apartments,  in  which  reside  the  women 
and  men  employed  in  this  operation,  which  I  had  always  in- 
correctly fancied  to  be  unavoidably  very  offensive. 

In  proceeding  towards  the  64  bouoheries  arranged  in  the 
middle  of  the  entrance,  I  went  into  one  of  the  bouveries,  to 
look  at  a  bullock  that  my  conductor  told  me  was  just  going 
to  be  slaughtered. 


*  Meal,  egge^  and  warm  wat«r. 


f  Working  yards. 


114 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and,  although  the  sun  was 
hot,  the  atmosphere,  where  I  stood,  felt  quite  refreshing.  He 
was  lying  in  a  cell  by  himself,  perfectly  tranquil,  on  clean 
straw,  and,  with  his  fore-legs  doubled  under  him,  was  chewing 
the  cud.  His  great  black  nose,  which  almost  touched  the 
white  litter,  was  wet  and  healthy ;  his  eyes  were  bright ;  his 
tail  quiet,  for,  as  the  air  was  cool,  thera  was  not  even  a  fly 
to  tease  him. 

As  we  were  gazing  at  each  other,  a  butcher,  carrying  a 
short  rope,  followed  by  a  boy  holding  in  his  right  hand  a 
stick,  in  which  I  particularly  observed  there  was  no  goad, 
walked  up  to  hita,  and  gently  putting  the  noose  over  his 
horns,  and  then  making  him  arise,  he  quietly  conducted  him 
to  his  doom.  The  poor  creature  walked  slowly  through  the 
hot  sunshine  with  perfect  willingness,  until  he  arrived  at  the 
threshold  of  the  broad  door  of  the  slaughterhouse,  where, 
suddenly  stopping,  he  leant  backwards,  and  stretched  out  his 
head,  evidently  alarmed  at  the  smell  of  blood.  The  butcher 
now  slightly  pulled  at  the  rope.  Without  barking  of  dogs  olr 
hallooing  of  men,  without  the  utterance  of  an  imprecation  or 
of  a  single  word,  four  slight  blows  on  the  right  hook  with  the 
boy's  stick  made  him,  after  looking  for  a  second  or  so  fear- 
fully to  the  right  and  left,  hurriedly  enter,  after  which  he  in^ 
Btantly  appeared  to  become  quite  quiet.  The  rope  from  his  head 
was  now  gently  passed  under  his  off  fore-leg,  and,  on  its  beiiig 
tightened,  a  couple  of  men  in  wooden  shoes,  clattering  to- 
wards him  over  the  wet  slippery  pavement,  by  a  sudden  push 
pn  his  near  side  tumbled  him  over.  He  was  scarcely  down 
when  one  blow  of  a  mallet  made  him  completely  senseless, 
two  others  were  given  bim  for  precaution's  sake,  and  a 
butcher  then,  forcing  his  knife  into  his  broad  chest,  instantly 
withdrew  it. 

There  was  a  dead  silence  for  some  seconds ;  notwithstand- 
ing the  colour  of  the  knife,  the  blade  of  which  I  observed 
pointing  to  the  ground,  Ao  effect  was  produced.  At  last  out 
i*ush6d  a  stream  or  *iver  of  blood,  which,  first  black  and  then 
bright  red,  flowed  in  little  waves  along  a  gutter  into  a  re- 
ceptacle made  to  contain  it. 

As  the  great  creature  lay  lifeless  before  me,  I  felt  very  foi^ 
oibly  how  extraordinary  was  the  fact,  that  while  the  Demon  of 
War — ^Napoleon    Buonaparte — had,  in  1811,  established   in 


ABATTOIR  OF  MONTMARTRK 


115 


Paris  the  merolful  arrangements  I  had  witnessed,  it  had  taken 
the  Goddess  of  Peace  upwards  of  siz-and-thirty  years  to  pre- 
vail upon  the  inhabitants  of  England  in  general,  and  upon  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  London  in  particular,  to  abol- 
ish a  system  not  only  of  barbarous  cruelty,  but  which,  by  cre- 
ating feverish  excitement,  amounting  occasionally  to  madness, 
has  rendered  more  or  less  unwholesome  the  meat  of  every 
wretched  victim  that  has  been  killed  in  a  metropolis  (consum- 
ing annually  240,000  bullocks,  1,700,000  sheep,  28,000  calves, 
and  35,000  pigs)  whose  inhabitants,  as  if  in  satirical  ridicule 
of  themselves,  delight  publicly  in  singing,  when  in  krge  con- 
gregations they  sit  down  to  dinner—^ 


"  Oh,  the  roast  beef  of  old  Englnnd, 
And  oh,  tho  old  English  roast  beef  1" 


Several  calves  were  now  driven  into  a  yard  containing  four 
or  five  tressels,  upon  which,  one  after  another,  they  were  placed 
on  their  sides  by  men  in  wooden  shoes,  who  held  them  down, 
while  butchers— also  in  sabots — ^not  only  cut  their  throats,  but 
their  heads  quite  off ;  thus  in  a  few  seconds  most  effectually 
combining  death  with  the  operation  of  bleeding,  which',  in 
England,  is  cruelly,  made  to  precede  it.  The  blood  of  each 
calf  was  caught  in  a  pan  by  the  men  who  held  it  down.  As 
fast  as  the  animals  were  killed,  skinned,  and  cleaned,  their  car- 
cases, by  means  of  ropes  and  pulleys,  were  hung  up,  arranged 
in  lines,  and  then  wrapped  up  m  linen  cloths  as  white  as 
snow. 

Observing  to  one  of  the  butchers,  who  had  rather  a  red- 
republican-looking  countenance,  that  some  of  the  sheep  ap- 
peared to  be  very  thin  :— 

"  Ah  !"  said  he,  with  a  slight  shrug  and  a  gentle  sight,  "  il 
y  a  des  gros  et  des  maigres,  comme  il  faut  de  la  viande  pour 
tout  le  monde,"* 

"  And  yet  how  does  that  agree,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  with 
your  fraternity  and  equality  ?".  » 

As  the  hours  for  slaughtering  were  now  nearly  over,  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  simple  process  of  sluicing,  by 
iueans  of  an  abundant  supply  of  water  from  a  cock  in  each  of 

*  There  are  fiit  ones  and  lean  ones,  for  we  must  have  meat  for  every- 
Joodj.  ■'■■■.  .      '    "  v■\»■■■^^^ . 


116 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


the  64  bouolieries,  the  red  slippery  floors  of  several  ot  the 
slaughterhouses,  which  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  were 
made  as  sweet  and  clean  as  the  flags  of  a  washhouse.  As  soon 
as  this  was  efiected,  the  butchers,  washing  themselves,  and  then 
slipping  out  of  their  wooden  shoes,  walked  to  their  rooms 
to  assume  the  decent  dress  in  which  they  had  entered, 
and  in  which  they  were  about  to  return  to  their  respective 
homes. 

The  charge  at  the  abattoirs  for  killing  cattle  is  from  one 
franc  to  one  and  a  half  per  head ;  besides  which  the  butcher 
claims,  as  his  perquisite^  the  blood,  brains,  and  entrails. 

If,  when  the  animal  is  killed,  its  flesh  is  found  to  be  dis> 
eased,  or  even  bad,  instead  of  being  converted,  as  in  London, 
into  sausages  for  the  rich  or  into  pies  and  patties  for  the  poor, 
it  is  confiscated  by  the  Inspector  of  the  Police  residing  within 
the  establishment,  who  instantly  sends  it  off  to  the  Jardin  des 
Flantes,  to  be  eaten  by  the  wild  beasts, — by  lions,— tigers, — 
bears, — by  eagles, — ^by  vultures, — and  by  other  birds  of  prey. 
The  meat  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  is  usually  sent  out 
at  night  only,  but  animals  to  be  killed  are  received  at  any 
hour. 

The  number  slaughtered  per  week  at  the  single  abattoir  of 
Montmartre  amounts  to  about  900  oxen,  400  cows,  650  calves, 
and  3500  sheep. 

On  leaving  the  establishment  I  walked  completely  round 
the  lofty  walls  that  enclose  it ;  but  neither  to  windward  nor  to 
leeward  could  I  detect  the  slightest  smell  indicative  of  the 
bloody  business  transacted  within  it. 


•  •• 


GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


As  r  was  rather  anxious  to  be  permitted,  during  my  short 
residence  at  Paris,  to  enjoy  the  professional  pleasure  of  shak- 
ing the  black  hands  of  some  of  the  Stokers  and  Pokers  of  the 
Great  Northern  Railway, — which  connects  Paris,  not  only  vid 
Arras,  Douai,  and  Valenciennes,  with  Brussels,  Namur,  and 
Liege,  but  by  a  branch  railw.^^y  from  Creil  with  St.  Quentin, 


OBEAT  KORTJllSRN  HAILWAT. 


117 


and  by  branch  railways  from  Douai  with  Lille,  Oalais,  and 
Dunkorque,  with  Bruges  and  Ostende,  and  with  Ghent  and 
Antwerp, — Baron  Rothschild,  one  of  the  leading  directors,  was 
good  enough  to  desire  that,  without  reserve,  I  should  be  shown 
over  the  whole  of  the  establishment,  and,  accordingly,  beckon- 
ing to  a  voiture  de  place,  I  sat  within  it,  rumbling,  ruminating, 
and  looking  at  one  button  only  on  the  driver's  back — the  other 
one  was  deficient,  and  yet,  alas  I  there  was  the  very  spot  on 
which  it  had  lived — until,  within  the  course  of  about  half  an 
hour,  turning  out  of  the  Bue  Lafayette,  I  found  myself  on  an 
irregular,  open,  paved  space,  of  a  nondescript  tipsy*looking 
shape,  called  "  Place  de  Koubaiz,"  bounded  on  the  south,  east, 
and  west,  by  the  houses  of  Paris,  and  on  the  north  by  the  "  em- 
baroadere,"  or  jnetropolitan  terminus  of  the  Great  Northern 
Railway, — *■'•  Chemin  de  Fer  du  Nord." 

As  soon  as  I  had  dismissed  my  conveyance,  I  proceeded  on 
foot  across  a  paved  square,  separated  from  an  interior  yard  by 
iron  railing,  at  each  extremity  of  which  was  an  entrance  gate 
leading  to  the  station  immediately  in  front  of  me,  composed 
of  a  handsome  looking  zinc-roofed  building,  one  story  high, 
the  outer  facade  of  which  was  formed  of  eight  lofty  arches, 
four  filled  up  with  glazed  windows,  the  rest  with  glass  and 
doors.  Oh  a  gable  at  one  end  there  beamed  an  honest-faced 
clock ;  on  a  corresponding  gable  at  the  other  end  a  dial  of  the 
same  diameter,  above  the  black  useful  fingers  of  which  was 
written,  "  Indicateur  des  Departs."* 

On  the  right  of  this  interior  yard  I  observed  ranged  in 
line  beneath  a  covered  shed,  a  motley  row  of  that  which  every 
railway  station  most  delights  in,  "  'buses,"  attached  to  each  of 
which  were  standing,  in  placid  matrimonial  alliance,  a  pair  of 
black,  white,  brown,  bay,  or  piebald  horses.  On  the  left,  ever- 
iastingly  staring  at  them  all,  was  "  Bureau  des  Omnibus,"t 
and  alongside  of  it  several  animaloula  of  the  genus  cabriolet. 
Lastly,  in  the  middle  of  this  handsome  paved  yard,  there  grew 
and  flourished  a  very  little  tree. 

As  fast  as  the  various  public  and  other  carriages  arrive, 
they  drive  up  to  one  of  the  four  great  glass  doors  I  have 
named,  on  entering  one  of  which  I  found  myself  in  a  spacious 
paved  hall,  231  feet  long,  36  feet  broad,  and  24  feet  high, 


*  The  indicator  of  depavtures. 


f  Office  for  omnibuses. 


118 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCU  STICKS. 


bounded  on  tbn  entrance  side  bv  tho  eight  lofty  glasa  Windows 
and  doors,  which  reached  nearly  to  the  ceiling ;  and  on  the 
opposite  side  by  a  wall  divided  into  doors  and  compartments 
dusignated  longitudinally,  as  follows : — 


if 


Bureau  des  Reiue|gnement«.* 
8^*'  des  Bagagos  Depart  f 
S""-  d'Attente  de  lo  Grande  L!flrne.t 
B""-  de  distribution  des  Billot0.g 

Ditto  ditto 

Ditto  ditto 

Ditto  ditto 

Ditto  ditto 

S"«-  d'Attente  de  la  BanlieueJ  *^ 

Chemin  de  Fer  de  Boulogne.^— (The  clerks  within  tlus  office  belong  to  a 

different  company.) 
S"*-  des  Bagages  Amv6e.**  £ 

n  7  '  : 

After  spending  a  short  time  in  the  bureau  of  the  chief  en-- 
gineer,  whom  I  found  very  kindly  disposed  to  give  me  what- 
ever information  I  desired,  I  proceeded  with  his  assistance  to 
a  lengthy  office  in  the  long  paved  entrance  promem^de  I  have, 
described,  the  "  Salle  des  Bagages  Depart,"  in  the  middle  of 
which,  throughout  its  whole  length,  I  perceived  a  low  table  on 
which  is  placed,  as  fast  as  it  can  be  weighed,  each  article  of 
outward  bound  baggage,  which,  by  attendant  porters  is  piled, 
upon  three- wheeled  trucks  apparently  much  more  convenient, 
than  those  usually  used  in  England,  and  then  rolled  along  tho 
platform  to  the  luggage  van  in  which  it  is  to  travel.     A  single 
glance  at  the  distance  which  intervenes  between  this  office  and 
the  departing  train  is  sufficient  to  show  a  mal-arrangemcnt, 
the  inconvenience  of  which  is  acknowledged,  but  which,  from 
want  of  space,  was  unavoidable. 

'Parallel  with  and  adjoining  to  this  office  I  found,  ranged 
within  a  narrow  shed,  and,  as  it  were,  framed  and  glazed,  for 
each  had  his  window,  a  row  of  clerks,  whose  duty  it  is  to  re* 
ceive  goods  and  parcels  to  be  despatched  by  passenger  train^ 


Office  for  obtaining  information. 
Hall  for  luggage  outwards. 
Waiting-rooms  for  the  main  line. 
Offices  for  the  deliveiy  of  ticketfl. 
Waiting-room  for  the  short  line. 
Boulogne  railway. 
**  Hall  foi*  baggage  that  has  aniVed. 


OREAT  NORTHERN  RAIL  WAT, 


119 


'■'k-r: 


"  Messageriea  de  grand  vitesse."*  Above  thoir  heads  outside, 
were  inscribed  tlie  names  of  the  variotiB  places  of  destination, 
for  which  there  was  a  series  of  tioket-papfrs,  about  three 
inches  by  two,  of  a  particu]<ar  colour,  numbered  consecutively 
for  each  article,  excepting  whert  several  boro  the  same  address, 
in  which  case  the  same  number  was  affixed  to  all.  The  ticket! 
of  passengers'  baggage  are  distinguished  from  those  of  goods 
loft  solelv  in  charge  of  the  company  by  a  cross  made  with  a 
red  pencil.  The  duty  of  this  office  continues  night  and  Avkj. 
At  about  one  hundred  yards  southward,  I  reached  a  shed  in 
which,  under  similar  arrangements,  goods  are  received  and  de* 
spatched  by  luggage  trains  of  "  petite  vitesse."! 

Beturning  to  the  long  paved  entrance  promenade,  I  was 
conducted  to  the  grand  waiting-hall  for  the  main  line,  compos- 
ed of  two  sets  of  rooms  (altogether  108  feet  long,  by  30 
feet  broad,  and  27  feet  high),  sky-lighted  throughout  the  whole 
length  of  the  ceiling,. and  communicating  bv  running  doors 
with  the  platform.  Each  of  these  twin-republics  is  composed 
of  a  separate  compartment  for  first,  second,  and  third  class 
passengers.  In  No.  1,  the  floors  of  which,  as  a  mark  of  dis- 
tinction, are  as  slippery  as  glass,  are  a  handsome  looking-glass, 
a  green  plush  sofa,  two  green  plush  ottomans,  and  a  quantity 
of  subsidiary  green  plush  chairs,  in  No.  2,  the  floor  of  which 
id  a  little  slippery,  are  broad,  comfortable  green  plush  benches. 
Compartment  No.  3,  the  floor  of  which,  although  very  cleanly, 
kept,  was  not  slippery  at  all,  is  furnished  with  substantial 
hard  oak  forms. 

On  passing  a  door  on  the  outside  of  the  building,  I  asked 
the  engineer,  who  was  conducting  me,  what  it  contained  ? 

"  Merely,  he  replied,  "  le  magasin  des  objets  trouv^s,":f  and 
he  was  proceeding  onwards,  but  at  my  request  was  good  enough 
to  send  for  the  key.  ' 

'  Sterne  observed,  "  they  do  everything  differently  in  France,* 
and  accordingly  —  tiruly  enough  as '  soon  as  the  door  was 
opened,  1  pferoeived  walking  towards  me,  with  their  tails  erect, 
and  slowly  vibrating,  three  great  fat  cats. 

"  Beaucoup  de  rats^  Monsieur !  "  said  the  man  in  mustaohois, 
i^ho  had  unlocked  the  door.     "  JBn  quantity  !'^^  he  added,  as 


f  Slow  traina 


*' Fast  trains,. ■•pi'J^t/    '  - 

t  Lostlaggage  offioa.      . 

§  A  number  of  rats,  Sir!  in  quantities  1 


%p'' 


120 


A  JfjiLfGOl  OF  FEENCH  STICKS. 


one  of  the  oats,  occasionally  leaning  towards  me  to  nib  her  side 
and  sti£f  upright  tail  against  my  legs,  kept  pacing  up  and  down 
before  us  like  a  sentinel. 

On  the  right  hung  nothing  but  "  casquettes ;"  in  front  were 
cloaks,  portmanteaus,  and  boxes ;  on  a  table  in  the  centre  a 
quantity  of  umbrellaa  and  canes,  among  which  I  observed,  tied 
together,  a  family  group  of  five  umbrellas  of  different  sizes,  and 
the  poor  father's  stick.  On  the  left  was  a  congregation  of  car- 
pet bags,  sacs  de  nuit,  bundles  in  handkerchiefs  of  different 
colours,  two  French  prayer-books  wrapped  ujp  in  black  cloth,  on- 
ly one  shawl,  two  or  three  bandboxes,  a  few  mysterious-looking 
utensils,  and  six  swords. 

It  appears  that  gentlemen  travelling  in  France  are  more 
light-headed  than  ladies,  for  while  within  the  chamber  in  which 
I  stood  there  was  not  a  single  bonnet,  I  saw  ranged  on  my  left 
no  less  than  110  black  hats.  On  each  was  a  paper,  stating 
the  date,  the  dismal  days  and  nights,  of  its  imprisonment,  with 
the  name  of  the  maker,  which  the  man  in  charge  of  the  cham- 
ber told  me  enabled  him  readily  to  attend  to  any  inquiries.-^ 
He  seemed  proud  of  the  arrangement,  and  accordingly,  taking 
down  a  labelled  hat  from  the  pile,  he  handed  it  to  me  that  I 
might  observe  how  it  was  done.  On  looking  into  it  I  unexpect- 
edly found  within  a  lion  and  a  unicorn — "  Heaven  bless  them  !" 
said  I  to  myself — ^with  the  words — "  Townend,  190,  Kegent 
Street,  London." 

On  the  north  side  of  the  long  passenger  platform,  commu- 
nicating with  the  waiting-rooms  I  have  described,  are  ten  sets 
of  rails,  on  which  are  very  cleverly  arranged  the  carriages  and 
spare  carriages  requisite  for  the  working  of  the  great  line ;  oppo- 
site is  a  branch  line,  with  five  short  satellite  rails  (for  carriages) 
for  the  "  baulieue,"  or  short  passenger  and  goods  traffic.  On 
the  arrival  of  every  train  of  the  main  line,  that  is  to  say,  from 
Calais,  Dunkerque,  Ostend,  Namur,  Brussels,  Li^ge,  &c.,  as 
soon  as  the  passenger  carriages,  passing  under  a  handsome 
archway,  are  comfortably  sheltered  under  a  lofty  thin  slated 
roof,  the  luggage,  turning  suddenly  to  the  left,  along  a  rail  at 
right  angles,  about  thirty  yards  long,  is  conducted  into  an  im- 
mense covered  building,  in  which  are  two  low  tables  or  coun- 
ters, each  200  feet  long,  divided  into  compartments,  labelled 
over  head  with  the  names  of  the  principal  stations  on  the  line. 
When  the  various  articles  are  distributed  thereon,  according 


GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


121 


to  the  tiokets  affixed  to  eacli,  there  is  thrown  open  a  great  door, 
through  which  is  immediately  seen  to  rush  a  torrent  of  passen- 
gers— John  Bulls,  Jenny  Bulls,  and  travellers  of  all  nations — 
who,  with  Bahel  faces  of  confusion,  gape,  stare,  until  at  last,  as 
soon  as  their  eyes  catch  the  superscription  designating  their 
baggage,  they  are  to  be  seen  radiating  tqwards  it  in  yarious 
directions.  On  the  production  of  their,  ticket,  that  which 
bears  the  corresponding  number  is  delivered  to  each.  At  the 
end  of  this  well-arranged  hall  is  an  office  for  the  payment  to 
the  "  Octroi  de  Paris"*  of  whatever  may  be  due  to  it. 

On  the  north  of  the  lofty  covered  shed  from  which  the 
passenger-trains  depart,  and  which  adjoins  that  under  which 
they  arrive,  I  entered  the  "  Bureau  de  Douane,"t  where  I  be- 
held seated  in  a  row,  eight  clerks,  beyond  whom,  in  a  large 
store-house,  up  and  down  which  was  pacing  a  custom-house 
officer,  dressed  in  uniform,  and  wearing  a  sword,  several  men 
were  engaged  in  opening  and  examiaiDg  luggage  of  every  de- 
scription. That  portion  which  was  for  "La  Belgique"|  was 
then  doubly  tied  round  with  large  oowt,  and  secured  from  fur- 
ther examination  by  a  leaden  seal.  On  the  outside  of  this 
department  were  standing  several  horse-boxes,  opening  fore 
and  aft,  instead  of  only  at  one  side,  as  in  England.  } 

My  companion  now  kindly  proposed  that  I  should  wall^ 
with  him  down  the  line  for  about  a  mile,  to  the  company's 
establishment  of  work-shops,  &o.  I  accordingly  followed, 
and,  in  answer  to  the  first  question  I  put  to  him,  was  in- 
formed, that  the  railway  "Chemin  de  Fer  du  Nord,"  was 
opened  to  Lille  in  1846,  to  Dunkirk  in  1848,  and  to  Calais  in 
1849. 

"  Who  is  this  ?"  I  said  to  him,  looking  at  a  tall  man  walk- 
ing towards  us,  in  a  sort  of  half  uniform,  with  an  unusually 
long  and  thick  black  beard. 

"  One  of  our  guards,"  he  replied. 

It  occurred  to  me  at  the  moment  that  our  railway  directors 
in  England  might  for  the  same  service  recommend  the  adop- 
tion of  this  fashion.  In  regions  of  intense  cold  it  is  invariably 
found  necessary  to  cover  a  shaved  chin,  and  as  there  is  no 
cheaper  or  ^armey  protection  than  that  which  nature  has 
granted  to  the  lower  half  of  a  man's  face,  it  would  be  especially 

*  Receiver  of  the  tolls  of  Pavia. 

4-  Oliice  of  the  Ciiatoms.  %  Belg^iino. 


1^2 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


economical  and  convenient  to  railway  guards,  who,  when  tray- 
elling  at  thirty  or  forty  miles  an  hour,  through  cold  air,  itself 
flying  in  an  opposite  direction,  say  from  forty  to  sixty  miles 
an  hour,  are  exposed — to  say  nothing  of  rain,  sleet,  snow,  hail, 
and  sunshine — to  yery  trying  vicissitudes  of  temperature  and 
climate. 

At  440  yards  from  the  station  we  came  to  a  switch-man, 
dressed  in  a  blouse,  with  a  red  cord  round  his  neck,  suspend* 
ing  a  cow's  horn,  with  which — according  to  circumstances — 
he  communicated  either  with  the  station  at  the  Paris  terminus, 
or  with  an  approaching  train.  I  was  astonished  to  learn,  from 
the  united  testimony  of  my  attendant  and  of  this  man,  that  a 
blast  from  a  cheap  rude  instrument  of  this  description  can,  in 
perfectly  calm  weather  and  in  a  plain,  be  heard  at  a  distance 
of  4400  yards  (2^  miles) ;  and  that  even  against  a  strong  wind 
it  is  audible  at  a  distance  of  1500  metres,  about  a  hundred 
yards  short  of  an  English  mile.  In  our  foggy  weather  such  a 
warning  voice  might  surely  occasionally  be  of  considerable  ser- 
vice. At  550  yards  from  the  station  I  came  to  another  Cer- 
berus, who  had  charge  of  wires,  with  which,  without  moving 
from  his  post,  he  could  turn  one  disc  at  the  station,  and  simul- 
taneously another  situated  550  yards  down  the  line.  Hitt 
power  of  signalizing  or  of  warning  extended,  therefore,  over  a 
distance  of  1 100  yards.  Suspended  from  his  neck  by  a  black 
belt  was  a  scabbard  containing  a  red  flag,  there  being  no  inter- 
mediate signal,  by  bunting,  between  "Advance"  and  "Halt." 
Behind  him  stood  a  sentry  box,  containing  in  the  corner  a 
small  stove,  the  ornamental  top  of  which,  as  is  usual  in  Franco, 
had  been  exchanged  for  a  "  marmite"  or  covered  saucepan,  in 
which  what  he  called  his  dinner — but  from  the  smell  what  an 
Englithman  would  call  his  "  onions" — were  stewing.  Oppo- 
site his  stove  was  a  box  of  exploding  petards  for  fog-signals. 
He  had  also  charge  of  a  switch,  to  which  had  been  very  inge- 
niously attached  a  revolving  weight — it  is  submitted  that  this 
might  be  advantageously  adopted  in  England — which  made  it 
impossible  for  it  to  move  during  the  time  he  was  employed  in 
signalizing  with  his  discs. 

Alongside  of  the  line,  protected  from  the  intrusion  of  cat- 
tle, &c.,  by  nothing  but  a  slight  trellis-work,  which  without 
any  difl&culty  I  could  have  levelled  to  the  ground,  were  five 
electric  wires,  three  constructed  and  used  by  Govornmont,  the 


^■''#- 


C- 


*»■ 


GREAT  NORTHERN  SAHW AT.  }23 

other  two  by  the  company.  The  posts  for  all  had  i>een  fixed 
by  Goyernment. 

As  we  were  walking  through  a  catting,  the  embankment  of 
which  had  been  planted  with  trees,  for  the  purpose  of  retaining 
the  earth,  there  rushed  by  us,  on  its  road  to  Paris,  a  train  laden 
with  three  tiers  of  large  pans  full  of  milk,  from  cows  gracing 
%nd  ruminating  about  seventy  miles  off.  At  1000  metres 
(1100  yards)  n'om  the  station,  we  came  to  a  distanoe-posty 
which  constantly  recurs  at  the  same  interval,  and  shortly  after- 
wards  there  appeared  before  us  a  congregation  of  buildings— 
the  object  of  my  visit. 

The  Company's  establishment  at  this  spot,  called  ''  la  Cha- 
pelle  St.  Denis,"  and  which,  with  a  great  clock  in  the  middle 
of  it,  straddles  on  both  sides  of  the  railway,  over  a^n  irregular 
space,  about  1100  yards  long,  and  from  200  to  300  broad,  is 
composed,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  rails,  of  magazines,  &o., 
for  the  arrival  and  departure,  at  "  petite  vitesse "  *— 4iay  six 
leagues  an  hour — of  heavy  goods ;  and  on  the  left  or  western 
side,  of  workshops  of  various  descriptions. 

Proceeding  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  rails,  I  found,  separ 
rated  from  each  other  by  wide  spaces,  four  large,  lofty,  light 
buildings,  called  "  Salles  d'Arrivfie :"  f— 

1.  For  the  reception  of  sugar. 

2.  For  mixed  goods. 

3.  Po.  do. 

4.  For  oil,  spirits,  all  that  is  liquid,  and  grain. 

Also,  two  similar ''  salles  "  for  despatching  goods  of  all  de- 
scriptions. 

The  interior  of  each  is  composed  of  a  wooden  platform, 
about  five  feet  above  the  ground,  with  rails  all  along  one  longi' 
tudinal  side,  and  with  a  space  for  carts  and  waggons  on  the 
opposite  side  \  by  which  arrangement,  in  the  arrival  "  salles," 
goods  brought  on  railway-oars  are  transferred  to  wheels ;  and 
in  the  departure  salles,  from  the  wheel-carriages  in  which  they 
arrive  are  transferred  to  carriages  to  travel  by  rail. 

In  the  arrival  "salle.  No.  1,"  I  saw,  in  large  heaps,  beet- 
root sugar  in  bags,  tapped  in  so  many  places  by  the  "  doua- 
niers,"  \  that  they  looked  as  if  they  had  been  under  the  fire  of 
musketry.     In  salle  No.  2  were  Dp.rs  of  iron,  piles  of  oanvaai 


*  Slow  pace. 


ijo  uja*  i?u« 


f  Halls  of  arri^lM' 
:(  CuBtom-hotifle  officers.      '-^    -"' 


124 


A  FAQOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


of  paper  three  feet  long,  of  matting,  boxes  of  window-glass, 
barrels,  and  huge  bags  <n  coarse  oanras,  through  which  were' 
protruding,  like  the  quills  of  a  porcupine,  turkeys'  feathers. 
Above  these  various  packages,  on  a  beam  that  traversed  the 
whole  building,  was  a  Tunning-crane  for  the  purpose  of  moving 
them  in  any  direction. 

In  salle  No.  3,  the  platform — ^250  feet  long,  120  broad,  and 
covered  by  a  triple-slated  roof,  supported  by  thirty-six  posts- 
was  divided  by  tnem  into  as  many  compartments,  numbered, — 
for  Prusse,  Mouscron,  Tourcoing,  Boubaix,  Bunkerque,  Qui^* 
vrau,  Yalencienne'j,  Hazebrouck,  Calais,  St.  Omer,  Armen- 
tidres.  Arras,  Lille,  Somain,  Douai,  Corbie,  &c. 

At  the  end  of  this  salle  was  a  "  bureau,"  containing  a  very 
ingenious  contrivance  for  recording,  during  the  ni^ht,^  the 
vigilance  and  presence  of  the  guards  who^e  duties  it  is  to 
watch  the  premises.  A  small  pasteboard  dial,  coinciding  with 
that  of  a  dock,  is  so  arranged,  that  whenever  the  guard,  in 
passing  it,  gives  it,  as  he  is  ordered  to  do,  a  push,  it  not  only 
makes  a  hole,  but  by  it  marks  the  precise  hour  and  minute  at 
which  the  rude  pressure  from  witnout  was  inflicted ;  and,  as 
the  whole  apparatus  is  locked  up,  the  superintendent,  on  his 
arrival  in  the  morning,  without  inquiry,  reads,  from  various 
dials  of  this  description,  the  preoisf*  periods  at  which  the 
guards  performed  in  every  locality  their  several  tours.  One 
of  these  instruments  a  drowsy  guard  had  been  required  to 
push  every  five  minutes,  to  satisfy  the  superintendent  he  had 
not  been  asleep  during  the  night. 

'  On  the  platform  of  these  sheds  I  stood  for  some  time 
admiring  the  magnificent  one-horse  carts,  everywhere  in  use  at 
Paris.  On  one  I  saw  piled  and  carried  off  with  apparent 
ease,  by  a  punchy  little  horse  not  fifteen  hands  high,  fourteen 
barrels  of  Burgundy  (in  two  tiers,  the  lower  one  of  ten,  and 
the  upper  of  four  casks),  weighing,  with  the  cart,  4000  lbs. 
Another,  in  front  of  which  was  afi&xed  a  little  capstan,  with  a 
double  rope,  was  laden  with  casks  of  sugar,  weighing  nearly 
12,000  lbs.  The  clerks  and  porters  employed  in  these  "salles" 
work  from  six  to  six  in  summer,  from  seven  to  seven  in  winter, 
with  one  hour's  intermission,  namely,  fron  eleven  to  twelve. 

Against  the  eastern  outer  wall  which  surrounds  the  estab- 
lishment pf  "la  Chapelle  St.  Denis,"  are  five  oflBices,  three 
belonging  to  the  company,  and  the  other  two  for  the  "octroi" 
of  the  Government.    ..^a,^^,^^,^^ 


1/ 


GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


125 


After  passing  a  small  pier,  not  very  well  protected,  for  the 
embarkation  of  horses,  cattle  and  carriages,  I  observed  an  in- 
genious contrivance  for  assisting  the  transportation  of  coke, 
which,  on  its  arrival  in  a  large  grated  waggon,  is  conducted  on 
rails,  under  a  powerful  crane,  to  which  is  affixed  a  large  strong 
rectangular  frame,  with  iron  pins,  which  fit  and  fasten  all 
round  into  corresponding  holes  in  the  top-rails  of  the  waggon, 
which  then,  coke  and  all,  weighing  10,000  lbs.,  is  lifted  into 
the  air,  to  be  replaced  on  a  two-wheeled  cart,  which,  in  a  very 
few  minutes,  carries  it  away  tp  Paris,  There  is  also  a  lofty 
machine,  with  a  little  railed  gallery  on  the  top,  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  weight  of  every  load  of  coke,  including  the 
truck, — called  by  French  engineers  "  trook." 

On  crossing  over  the  line  to  the  company's  workshops,  I 
was  introduced  to  a  fine-looking  superintendent,  who,  although 
he  understood  not  a  word  of  English,  kept  brushing  with  the 
•points  of  his  long  white  beard  my  little  note-book,  in  which  he 
carefully  looked  with  kind  simplicity,  and  apparent  satisfaction 
at  every  word  I  wrote. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  "  Forgeries," — in  the  centre  of  which 
is  an  exalted  office,  enabling  the  superintendent-in-chief  to 
overlook  two  immense  workshops  at  right  angles,  admirably 
lighted  and  ventilated  above,  by  broad  horizontal  open  blinds, 
like  a  brew-house, — I  found  at  work,  in  triple  rows,  eighty-one 
forges,  and  two  small  steam-engines,  by  whose  irresistible 
power  a'  hammer  is  enabled,  sixty  times  per  minute,  to  inflict 
a  blow  of  from  18,000  to  20,000  lbs.  It  also  gives  life  and 
animation  to  a  variety  of  smaller  machines,  for  cutting,  punch- 
ing, and  dealing  with  iron  as  if  it  were  leather.  It  likewise 
causes  to  revolve  an  enormous  grin  ding-stone,  before  which 
there  appeared,  dressed  in  a  pair  of  wooden  trowsers,  and  lean- 
ing against  an  inclined  elastic  board,  always  pressing  him  to- 
wards the  stone,  a  man,  from  the  neighbourhood  of  whose 
stomach  streams  and  sparks  of  fire  were  flying  from  the  large 
steel  spring  he  was  grinding.  At  a  little  distance  from  him 
was  a  neat,  compact,  square  furnace,  for  heating  whatever  re- 
quired to  be  forged.  There  were  drawn  from  it  while  I  was 
looking  at  it,  first  a  rectangular  hollow  square,  then  a  long 
thin  plate,  then  a  short  broad  one,  then  a  lumpish  piece  of 
iron,  all  red,  or  rather,  almost  white  hot. 

We  next  proceeded  to  the  department  for  repairing  the 


126 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FMENCII  STICKH. 


company's  brass  engine  tubes,  made  at  Rambouillet,  near 
Rouen.  As,  however,  the  operation  of  cutting  them  with  a 
circular  saw  produced  a  noise  exceedingly  disagreeable,  I  hur- 
ried from  it  into  a  yard,  in  which  I  found  troughs  full  of  acid 
for  cleaning  tubes,  and  vats  full  of  water  for  washing  them, 
after  which  they  are  filled  with  hot  rosin,  which,  strange  to 
say,  as  soon  as  it  gets  cold,  hard,  and  brittle^  enables  them  to 
be  bent  with  the  greatest  accuracy  and  certainty  into  a  circu- 
lar or  into  any  form.  This  object  having  been  attained,  the 
tube  is  then  moderately  heated^  which  causes  the  rosin,  slowly 
and  sluggishly,  like  a  great  serpent,  to  roll  out. 

In  a  covered  passage  I  entered  a  series  of  store-rooms, 
containing  iron  for  various  purposes,  each  ticketed  separately ; 
brass ;  paint  of  different  colours ;  various  sizes  of  wire ;  tools 
of  all  sorts,  to  be  delivered  as  required  to  the  company's  work- 
men, each  of  whom,  in  acknowledgment,  surrenders  to  the 
storekeeper  his  "  ticket"  (an  iron  wafer  bearing  his  number), 
which  is  put  in  the  place  of  the  tool  he  has  received.  Every 
Saturday,  previous  to  paying  the  men,  all  bring  in  their  tools, 
redeem  their  tickets,  and  then  receive  their  money. 

We  next  entered  a  magnificent "  atelier,"  or  workshop,  330 
feet  long,  admirably  lighted  and  ventilated,  containing  in  four 
rows  seventy-two  machines,  worked  by  steam,  for  turning  brass 
and  iron.  The  sudden  sight  of  so  many  revolving  leather 
straps,  the  busy  whirl  of  so  many  lathes,  each  attended  by  its 
mechanic,  the  figures  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  men  dressed  in 
blouses,  standing  at  tables  all  round  the  walls  in  various  atti- 
tudes of  filing,  contrasted  with  the  comparative  silence  (for 
the  machinery  worked  with  great  ease)  of  the  whole  scene, 
was  highly  interesting.  In  the  middle  of  this  splendid  work- 
shop there  was,  as  usual,  an  elevated  office  with  glass  windows 
overlooking  the  whole. 

Passing  through  a  yard  of  several  acres'  area,  full  of  wheels 
of  waggons  and  other  carriages,  we  entered  another  immense 
lofty  double  hall,  at  right  angles,  for  the  reception  of  engines 
afflicted  with  all  sorts  of  disorders  in  their  bowels,  for  which 
hammering  seemed  to  be  the  general  specific,  for  everybody, 
everywhere,  appeared  to  be  belabouring  something.  And 
although  they  all  together  created  a  "  devil's  tattoo,"  almos*-. 
deafening,  it  appeared  to  me  that  the  men  struck  with  ra  ■  i>er 
less  spite,  with  a  little  less  energy,  and  with  rather  more  nou- 


1  ( 


GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


127 


''\ 


ohalanoe  than  in  England.  Adjoining  was  a  shed  for  smalle]^ 
repairs,  "petites  reparations,"  of  engines.  '  •« 

I  was  now  conducted  into  the  "  Rotonde,"  a  beautiful  cir- 
cular fabric  for  washing,  cleaning,  and  overhauling  engines  and 
tenders,  of  which  there  were  thirty-six,  all  named  and  num- 
bered. Among  them  I  observed  an  engine  and  tender,  united 
80  as  to  form  only  one  machine.  The  French  engineers,  copy- 
ing our  language,  call  the  tender  "  le  taindair."  At  the  end 
of  this  rotonde  was  a  pit,  and  ingenious  weighing  machine  for 
ascertaining  and  for  adjusting  the  precise  weight  resting  on 
each  of  the  three  pairs  of  wheels  of  every  engine.  , 

In  a  very  large  yard,  in  which  are  an  immense  turn-plate, 
an  office,  and  a  store  of  coke,  is  the  "  Bureaux  des  employes," 
or  principal  office  of, the  establishment:  beyond  it  I  entered 
another  spacious  covered  hall  or  hospital  for  sick  and  wounded 
engines,  which,  standing  on  three  sets  of  rails  pitted  beneath, 
were  undergoing  slight  medical  and  surgical  operations.  I 
next  paid  a  visit  to  the  heart  and  lungs  of  the  establishment, 
a  thirty-horse  power  steam-engine,  which,  with  a  thrilling 
noise  and  rumbling  motion,  made  my  whole  system  appear  to 
quiver.  At  a  short  distance  from  it  was  another  steam-engine 
of  twelve-horse  power,  for  carpenters'  work,  and  immediately 
adjoining  a  very  fine  hall  300  feet  long  by  150  broad,  for  the 
reparation  of  "  vagons"  and  "  voitures,"  all  inscribed  and  num- 
bered in  scarlet.  In  this  department  I  found  various  circular 
saws  and  machines  for  cutting  quoins  for  rails  ;  a  colour-shop ; 
a  tool-shop ;  and  a  grinding-stone,  which,  to  prevent  it  from 
splashing,  was  cleverly  confined  within  a  wrought-iron  case,  so 
as  to  leave  uncovered  only  the  part  wanted,  which  could  bo 
closed  b^  a  shutter  when  not  in  use. 

Against  the  wall  surrounding  the  company's  establishment 
were  a  series  of  sheds  for  lamps  and  tin-work,  cushions,  &c., 
extending  to  a  large  field  covered  with  rails,  &c.,  for  the  per- 
manent way.  Parallel  to  these  sheds  is  a  long  line  of  magnifi- 
bent  stores,  as  light  as  day,  for  grain  and  flour,  and  of  "  salles  " 
or  workshops,  warmed  by  stoves,  for  painting  carriages.    ^*^'^^'' 

Before  the  last  revolution  (the  establishment  then  con- 
tained 2000  workmen),  the  company's  carriages  of  all  descrip- 
tions were  made  here,  but,  as  they  are  now  supplied  by  con- 
tract, the  number  of  artificers  has  been  reduced  to  600.  > 

Notwithstanding  the  accommodation  these  large  halls  a& 


rsr 


128 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


ford  (half  of  them  were  lately  appropriated  for  packages  going 
to  the  London  Exhibition),  I  obseryed,  standing  in  the  open 
air,  covered  only  by  a  brown  canvas  mantle,  a  splendid,  richly 
painted,  richly  gilt,  and  richly  ornamented  carriage,  formerly 
entitle^  while  it  carried  Louis  Phillippe,  "  Voiture  Royale  ;"• 
ever  sinoe  it  has  been  devoted  to  the  President  of  the  Repub- 
lio  it  has  been  called  "  Vagon  Nationale  ;"t — it  has  neverthe- 
less lately  been  embellished,  infinitely  finer  than  before,  and 
thus  it  has  gained  in  splendour  more  than  it  had  lost  in  name. 

I  was  now  conducted  by  my  obliging  attendant  to  an  ex- 
traordinary-looking  double  store  of  three  galleries,  like  those 
of  a  Swiss  cottage,  with  four  flying  bridges  of  communication. 
These  communications,  as  light  as  open  day,  were  divided  into 
fiO^-four  compartments,  again  subdivided  into  pigeon-holes, 
oontaining  tools  of  every  description,  hair-brooms,  mats,  in 
short,  every  article — ^most  of  them  ticketed — that  a  railway 
establishment  could  require.  Beneath  was  a  "  bureau,"  or  of- 
fice, over  the  door  of  which  was  written,  "  Interdite  au  pub- 
Uo."|  On  entering  I  found  it  full  of  bearded  clerks,  all  sit- 
ting in  caps  excepting  one,  whose  head  was  covered  with  an 
immense  white  wide-awake  hat.  At  the  principal  stations  the 
oap  of  the  "  chef  de  la  gare"&  is  embroidered  ;  that  of  the  sta- 
tion-master is  plain ;  and  while  on  the  subject  of  costume  I 
may  observe,  that  all  men  employed  on  the  company's  line  aro 
dressed  in  blouses. 

Besides  the  spacious  well-organized  establishment,  a  mere 
outline  of  which  I  have  now  faintly  delineated,  there  exist 
branch  workshops  at  Amiens  and  at  Lille.  If  the  directors 
could  have  foreseen  what  lately  happened,  and  what  at  any 
hour  may  recur,  namely,  that  a  revolution  in  Paris  completely 
throws  into  the  hands  of  the  workmen  at  "  La  Chapelle  St. 
Denis"  the  whole  of  the  Company's  valuable  property  compre- 
hended therein,  instead  of  the  vicinity  of  the  metropolis  they 
would  no  doubt  have  established  their  workshops,  &c.,  at  Lille, 
where  they  would  have  been  beyond  the  familiar  grasp  of 

"  LraERTY,  Fraternity,  and  Equalitv." 

After  walking  by  the  side  of  the  rails  to  the  station  at 

*  Royal  carriage.  f  K^ational  wa^on. 

%  "So  admittanee  for  the  public. 

§  Chief  Superinteudeut  of  the  station. 


i ) 


GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


129 


Paris,  I  asoended  a  staircase  which  led  me  into  a  small  room, 
where  I  found  two  gentlemen  and  three  electric  dials.  be 
one  on  the  left,  which  belongs  to  Government,  and  Wi.-oh 
is  the  most  perfect,  can  work  off  with  one  hand  110  letters, 
or,  with  both  hands,  180  letters  per  minute,  three  per  se- 
cond. The  other  two,  called  "  Cadrans  alphab^tiques,"*  are 
managed  as  follows.  On  the  right  of  each  machine  there 
lies  on  the  table  before  the  operator  a  horizontal  brass  dial, 
of  about  ten  inches  in  diameter,  the  circumference  of  which  is 
marked  with  an  alphabet  and  figures  corresponding  with 
those  on  the  machine  before  him.  By  this  arrangement;  and  by 
the  assistance  of  a  brass  radius  terminating  in  a  little  knob, 
the  operator,  working  horizontally  instead  of  vertically,  ra- 
pidly moves  the  radius  of  the  brass  dial  from  one  letter  to 
another,  and,  as  fast  as  he  does  so,  the  corresponding  letter 
at  the  same  instant  is  repeated  on  the  dial  before  him',  and 
at  its  destination !  Besides  letters,  there  are  used  ciphers 
often  expressive  of  a  whole  sentence. 

After  thanking  the  chief  engineer  for  the  attention  he 
had  been  kind  enough  to  show  me,  I  passed  into  the  great 
covered  promenade  by  which  I  had  entered,  and  on  looking 
along  the  range  of  offices  inscribed  on  the  wall,  I  perceived  I 
had  neglected  to  visit  the  "  Bureau  des  Renseignemens."  I 
accordingly  opened  its  door  and  walked  in. 

Within  it  I  found  an  exceedingly  intelligent  gentleman, 
whose  duty  it  is,  fr.om  half-past  seven  in  the  morning  till  nine 
at  night,  on  every  day  of  the  week,  Sundays  and  all,  to  be 
badgered  by  any  man,  woman,  or  child  who,  naturally  or  un- 
naturally, may  be  hungering  or  thirsting  for  railway  infor- 
mation ;  besides  which  he  has  to  make,  in  writing,  "  recla- 
mations"! for  every  description  of  lost  baggage.  I  felt 
ashamed  to  speak  to  him,  but,  as  he  instantly  not  only  ad- 
.Iressed  me,  but,  on  ascertaining  what  I  wanted,  with  the  ut- 
most goodnature  expressed  an  anxiety  to  explain  to  me  every- 
thing that  belonged  to  his  department,  I  briefly  ascertained 
from  him  that,  during  the  summer,  he  and  his  assistant,  then 
at  rest,  had  to  woik  "  enormement  ;"|  that  of  all  travellers 
the  country  people  of  France  give  him  most  trouble ;  that  it 
takes  sometimes  a  quarter  of  an  hoar  to  explain  to  them  uu- 


*  Alpliabetical  dials. 


6* 


f  Applicati.  )iia. 


%  Enormously. 


130 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FliENOII  ,'iTIVK8. 


necessary  details  which,  after  all,  might  be  understood  in 
two  minutes ;  tha^  of  the  various  trains,  the  branches  of  the 
''  banlieue"  (to  short  distances  from  Paris)  are  the  most 
troublesome ;  lastly,  that  all  days  in  the  year,  f£te-days  and 
festivities — ^which  to  all  other  people  are  moments  of  enjoy- 
ment— give  him  the  most  afflictmg  amount  of  labour.  While 
I  was  with  him,  two  or  three  people,  quickly  pushing  open 
the  door,  asked  him  for  information  almost  at  the  same  time ; 
and  while  one  of  them  was  bothering  him  with  all  sorts  of 
little  questions  that  appeared  to  me  not  to  be  worth  a  far- 
thing a  dozen,  I  heard  close  to  me,  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of 
honest  joy,  "  Here  you  are  !"  On  looking  round,  I  found  a 
tall,  strong,  fine-looking  young  Englishman,  pointing  out  with 
his  finger  to  the  upturned  eyes  of  his  comrade — a  foot  shorter 
than  himself — the  precise  hour  of  departure  of  the  to-morrow 
morning's  train  from  Paris  to  Boulogne. 

"Old  England  for  kverI" 

On  walking,  or  rather  crawling,  out  of  the  great  yard — 
for  I  was  very  tired — I  went  straight  into  a  cafe  on  the  Place 
de  Boubaix,  and  asked  the  waiter  for  a  cup  of  coffee.  In  about 
half  a  minute  he  not  only  brought  it  to  me,  but,  almost  be- 
fore I  could  look  at  it,  as  a  sort  of  codicil  to  the  will  I  had 
expressed  to  him,  to  my  horror  he  filled  and  left  with  me  a 
little  wine-glass  with  brandy,  and  then  walked  away. 

This  evil  custom  has  of  late  years  become  so  general  in 
Paris  that,  as  I  walked  along  the  streets,  I  saw  within  the 
cafes  almost  everybody  who  had  coffee,  either  sipping,  or 
about  to  sip,  a  glass  of  brandy." 

In  returning  homewards  I  stopped  for  a  few  moments  to 
look  at  an  open  empty  black  hearse,  richly  ornamented  with 
silver,  to  which  were  harnessed,  but  standing  stock  still, 
a  pair  of  horses  smothered  alive  in  black  trappings,  edged 
with  silver,  and  covered  with  silver  stars  and  silver  tears. 
The  reins  were  black  and  silver.  The  coachman,  dressed  in 
a  black  cloak,  with  a  pair  of  large  jack-boots,  with  white  linen 
wrapped  round  his  knees  inside,  had  on  his  head  a  black 
cocked  hat  edged  with  silver.  Close  to  the  horses  there 
stood,  as  chief  mourner,  a  splendid,  tall,  well-fed  man,  dress* 
ed  in  a  cocked  hat,  black  coat  with  a  collar  of  purple  and  sil- 
ver, and  purple  scarf  edged  with  long  silver  bullion ;  lastly, 


\i 


SUNDAY. 


m 


resting  againat  the  w?ill  of  a  shop,  hunc  with  black  cloth  de- 
corated with  silver,  were  four  men  in  black.  As  I  was  gaz- 
ing at  the  horses,  coachman,  and  tall  man  in  black,  purple,  and 
silver,  I  observed  that  everybody  that  passed  on  either  side 
of  the  street,  without  looking  to  the  right  or  left,  either  took 
o£f  his  hat,  or  with  his  right  hand  touched  its  brim.  I 
thought  at  first  they  were  all  saluting  the  empty  hearse ;  but 
on  looking  into  the  black  shop,  I  saw  withm  it,  resting  on 
two  trossles,  and  illuminated  by  eight  candles,  the  coffin  of  a 
man  whose  name,  obliterated  by  the  black  cloth  that  covered 
his  remains,  nobody  stopped  to  inquire  about ;  who  had  died 
nobody  knew  why  ;  and  who  was  going  to  be  buried  nobody 
knew  where.  The  civility,  however,  in  Paris  bestowed  upon 
the  living,  is  as  politely  extended  to  them  when  they  are 
dead. 


•  •• 


SUNDAY,  THE  4th  MAY. 


■y  . 


At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  my  umbrella  in  my 
hand,  I  sallied  forth  from  my  lodgings  to  behold  the  greftt 
ffite,  the  preparations  for  which  had  for  so  many  days  en- 
gaged the  time  and  the  talk  of  almost  everybody  in  Paris. 
The  weather  was  dirty,  moist ;  and  as  there  was  every  appear- 
ance that  it  would  become  more  dull  and  more  moist,  I 
hastened  to  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  fountains  of  which, 
surrounded  by  people,  I  found  converted,  as  I  have  described, 
into  enormous  gilt  wicker  baskets  full  of  roses,  red  and 
yellow,  variegated  with  ruddy-faced  apples  as  big  as  melons. 
The  goddesses'  heads  were  now  completely  concealed  by 
bushes  formed  of  the  tops  of  young  fir-trees.  Encircling  the 
whole  there  gracefully  hung,  increasing  in  size  from  the  ends 
towards  the  centres,  wreaths  composed  of  212  ground-glass 
globe  lamps.  In  various  parts  of  the  Place  several  men  were 
busily  fixing  fireworks ;  others,  with  large  paint-brushes, 
rapidly  converting  a  mass  of  huge  wooden  packing-cases  into 
beautiful  rocks,  among  which,  entire  fir-trees  had  been  in- 
serted.    In  every  direction  was  to  bo  heard  the  tap  and  roll 


132 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FREyoil  HTJVKS. 


of  drams,  preceding  masses  of  moving  bristling  bayonets, 
dully  shining  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd  through  which  they 
were  passing.  On  both  banks  of  the  Seine  every  vessel,  and 
especially  the  long  low  baths  moored  close  to  the  stone  pier, 
were  ornamented  with  flags.  As  I  approached  the  Pont  de 
la  Concorde  the  concourse  of  people  was  immense. 

"  Viol&,  Messieurs  !''  I  heard  every  whore,  from  voices, 
high,  low,  male,  female,  but  already  more  or  loss  hoarse  and 
worn  out,  "  le  Programme  d^taill^  de  la  F<5te  ;  la  description 
dea  SUtues,  du  Bocher  de  Cascade,  pour  la  bagatelle  d'un 
sou  !"•  - 

"  Achetez,  Monsieur  ("f  said  to  me  a  stout  woman,  with  a 
brown,  honest,  healthy  face,  ornamented  with  a  long  pair  of 
gold  earrings,  embedded  in  a  white  cap,  beautifully  plaited, 
as  she  offered  me  one  of  the  armful  of  printed  ''  Programmes" 
she  was  describing. 

As  I  was  complying  with  her  request,  several  other  hands 
were  stretched  towards  her  for  a  copy,  which  she  supplied 
with  great  alacrity,  continuing  unceasingly,  but  every  moment 
a  little  more  hoarsely,  to  exclaim, ''  Voila,  Messieurs,  le  Pro< 
gramme  d^tailU,"  &c.  &c.  &c. 

In  the  middle  of  her  announcement,  "  Pardon,  Madame," 
she  suddenly  said  to  one  of  her  customers,  "  c'est  une  demoi- 
selle \"X  ^he  lady  took  back  the  money  she  had  paid,  and  in 
exchange  gave  her  the  sou  she  had  required. 

"  What  is  a  demoiselle,  if  you  please  ?"  whispered  I  to  the 
woman  whose  offering  had  been  rejected.  "  Mais  voyez. 
Monsieur  !"^  she  replied,  presenting  to  me  a  copper  coin,  on 
which  I  saw  the  figure  of  Britannia.  She  had  offered  an 
English  halfpenny  instead  of  a  French  one. 

Here  and  there  were  to  be  seen  standing  bolt  upright,  or 
pacing  backwards  and  forwards,  a  "  sergent  de  ville  "  ( Angliod 
policeman),  attired  in  a  blue  single-breasted  coat,  remarkably 
well  made,  with  long  broad  skirts,  edged  round  with  small 
red  cord,  silver  buttons — a  silver  ship,  the  arms  of  the  city  of 
Paris,  embroidered  on  the  collar — and  a  brass-hilted  straight 

*  Here,  gentlemen,  is  a  detailed  account  of  the  Fete ;  a  description 
of  the  statues  and  of  the  rocky  cascade  for  the  trifle  of  a  halfpenny. 

J  Buy,  Sir! 
Your  pardon,  Madam  I  this  is  a  young  lady ! 
See,  Su"! 


w 


\l 


SUNDAr. 


133 


Bword  suspended  perpendicularly  by  a  black  belt  beneath  the 
coat.  These  men,  usually  well  grown,  well  made,  and  who, 
generally  speaking,  have  countenances  highly  intelligent,  wear 
inustachios,  but  no  whiskers ;  in  lieu  of  which,  from  the  end 
of  their  chins  there  projects  a  sharp-pointed  beard,  which 
seems  to  add,  if  possible,  to  the  extreme  sharpness  of  their 
appearance. 

After  mingling  with  the  vast  concourse  of  people, — some 
looking  over  into  the  Seine — some  at  the  new  statues — some 
at  the  colonnade  in  front  of  the  National  Assembly, — I 
reluctantly  left  the  joyous  groups  by  which  I  had  been  sur- 
rounded, and  walked  to  the  Champs  .Elys^es,  where  I  found 
a  scene  of  unadulterated  happiness,  nearly  a  mile  long. 

The  first  group  I  stopped  at  was  surrounding  a  small 
oblong  table,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  common  wooden 
box  with  four  holes  in  it,  each  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter.  Into  them  a  number  of  men  in  blouses  were  trying 
to  blow  through  a  tube  a  little  arrow.  On  the  top  of  the 
box,  perfectly  happy,  sat,  quickly  nibbling  cabbage-leaves, — 
munching  a  little, — and  then,  apparently  unconscious  of  the 
presence  in  creation  of  any  beings  but  themselves,  nibbling 
again, — six  rabbits  and  a  guinea-pig.  All  of  a  sudden  I 
heard  a  slight  general  exclamation  of  triumph,  caused  by  a 
competitor  having  shot  into  one  of  the  holes ;  and  almost  at 
the  same  moment  the  blouse-covered  arm  of  the  man  who 
had  done  so  was  stretched  towards  the  largest  and  fattest  of 
the  rabbits,  who,  while  in  extreme  happiness  he  was  nibbling 
a  piece  of  the  green  cabbage-leaf  which  he  had  just  broken 
off,  was  suddenly  lifted  up  by  the  ears,  to  be  killed,  skinned, 
fricasseed,  and  eaten  by  the  conqueror ;  and  yet  his  violently 
kicking  hind-parts  were  scarcely  out  of  reach  of  his  quondam 
comrades,  when, — so  like  mankind, — the  remaining  five  went 
on,  wiih  'heir  long  thin  ears  lying  on  their  backs,  placidly 
nibbling  and  munching,  utterly  regardless  of  the  game  of 
Death  actually  performing  before  their  eyes. 

After  passing  several  turnabouts,  billiards,  and  amuse- 
ments of  various  sorts,  I  came  to  a  lad  of  about  seventeen 
dressed  in  a  blouse,  who,  with  a  large  table  covered  with 
square  pieces  of  gingerbread  of  diflFerent  sizes  before  him, 
was  unceasingly  exclaiming,  "  Ou  les  vend  k  un  sou  et  a  deux 
sous  la  piece.     S'ils  ne  sont  bons,  on  ne  les  pale  pas !    Ou  a 


134 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


I'avantage  de  les  goftter  d'abord  I"*  Then  looking  upwards 
towards  the  clouds,  from  whidh  a  few  drops  of  rain  were 
now  beginning  to  fall,  he  said,  appealing  to  me, 

"  Je  croyais  que  le  Bon-Dieu  6tait  juste  !  mais,'  he 
added,  covering  over  his  gingerbread  with  a  cloth,  "  il  n'est 
pas  juste  du  tout  !"t^ 

It  was  Sunday  ;  and  as  I  continued  walking  up  the  Champs 
Elysees,  just  ornamented  by  the  completion,  at  the  cost  of  six- 
teen pounds  sterling  apiece,  of  the  colossal  statues  of  Papin, 
Corneille,  Poussin,  Mole,  Jean  Bart,  Jeanne  Hachette,  le 
Grand  Cond6,  Le  Marechal  Ney,  Jacquart,  Molidre,  Jean 
Goujon,  Le  Cardinal  Richelieu,  Dugay-Trouin,  Jeanne  d'Arc, 
Le  Grand  Turenne,  Le  G6n6ral  Kleber,  I  could  not  help  feel- 
ing the  inconsistence  in  a  nation  thus  to  honour  her  public 
men,  and  yet  to  live  unmindful  of  the  Omnipotent  Power  that 
created  them  I 

At  the  "  Rond  Point,"  or  circular  space,  about  halfway  up 
the  Champs  Elysees,  where  six  roads  meet,  I  found  completed, 
on  its  pedestal,  an  immense  colossal  statue  of  France,  beauti- 
fully executed,  holding,  with  extended  arms,  in  each  hand  a 
crown  of  laurels.  On  both  sides  of  the  pedestal  was  appropri- 
ately inscribed, 

"  Atjx  Gloib£s  de  la  Fbance.":]: 

Among  the  endless  variety  of  modes  of  shooting  for  amuse- 
ment, I  observed  in  the  rain  a  number  of  people  firing  with 
percussion-caps  at  a  man's  head,  whose  eyes  (two  candles)  were 
to  be  blown  out  by  the  air  rushing  from  the  barrel  of  the  gun. 
A  little  further  on,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  admirers,  were 
a  quantity  of  plaster  figures,  many  of  which  had  been  more  or 
less  wounded  by  the  crossbow  bullets  to  which — three  shots  for 
a  sou — they  had  been  exposed.  Beneath  them,  lying  fast 
asleep,  with  his  shaggy  side  completely  covered  with  the  debris 
of  the  broken  images,  was  the  rough  black  dog  of  the  owner  of 
the  game. 

Without  knowing  what  I  was  to  see,  I  followed  a  man  through 

*  Going  for  a  halfpenny  and  a  penny  a-piece.  If  they  are  not  good, 
you  need  not  pay  for  them.  You  have  the  advantage  of  tasting  them 
first 

f  I  thought  that  God  was  just  I  but  he  is  not  just  at  all  I 

4  To  the  Glories  of  France. 

M    ^    ^  ■■    *--^-^      *....^      f^..     ^>.-^      '-^^[V -"-' ,-—     —  t:    —  '---        * 


I/: 


SUNDAY. 


135 


a  slit  in  q,  canvas  wall,  within  which  I  found  a  tame  stag  telling 
people  what  o'clock  it  was,  &o.  On  coming  out  of  it,  "  Est-ce 
que  <ja  vaut  deux  sous  ?"*  said  a  boy  to  me,  eagerly  putting  his 
face  close  to  mine.  I  did  not  like  to  injure  the  proprietor  of 
the  stag,  and,  not  being  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  inqui- 
rer's taste  to  answer  the  question  he  had  put  to  me,  I  extricated 
myself  from  the  dilemma  by  putting  into  his  hand  two  sous, 
and  saying  nothing — on  which  and  with  which — in  he  rushed. 

"Eh  bien,  Messieurs,  qui  demande  la  commotion ?"t  ex- 
claimed the  proprietor  of  an  electrifying  machine,  who,  almost 
as  fast  as  he  could  receive  the  sous  that  were  tendered  to  him 
electrified  not  only  the  hands  that  contained  them,  but,  amidst 
roars  of  laughter,  bunches  of  rustics,  men  and  women,  pressing 
around  them.  A  little  girl,  who  came  forward  to  receive  the 
shock,  bore  it  very  well ;  but  a  large  young  woman  standing 
near  her  squalled  out,  and  put  her  hands  to  the  backs  of  both 
her  knees. 

Along  the  principal  road  of  the  Champs  Elys^es  were  closely 
ranged,  on  both  sides,  stalls  full  of  trinkets  of  all  descriptions. 
One  was  full  of  pipes  ;  many  consisted  of  toys,  most  of  which — 
emblematic  of  a  Frenchman's  taste  —were,  I  observed,  drums 
and  dolls.  In  one  were  bread,  wine,  spirits,  and  red  eggs  ;  in 
another,  cold  boiled  sausages  ;  in  another,  a  woman,  whose  face 
was  wet  with  rain  and  perspiration,  frying,  over  charcoal,  sau- 
sages, which — just  as  if  they  wanted  me  either  to  buy  them  or 
save  them — spluttered  loudly  as  I  passed  them.  In  the  jew- 
ellery department  were  displayed  wedding-rings  enough  to  have 
married,  twenty  times  over,  all  the  ladies  in  Paris.  The  scene, 
throughout  its  whole  length,  was  ornamented  with  thousands 
of  flags,  and  yet  men  with  arms  full  of  them  were  hurrying 
along. 

Biving  again  into  the  interior,  I  found  a  hussar,  a  handsome 
man  in  a  long  beard,  bare  throat,  military  cap,  scarlet  jacket 
richly  embroidered,  and  crimson  trowsers,  selling  quack  medi- 
cines to  an  extensive  circle  of  people,  who  had  crowded  around 
him,  and  whom  he  always  called  "  I'aimable  society  qui  m'envi- 
ronne."!  He  was  standing  up  in  a  sort  of  long  barouche ; 
above,  and  over  his  head,  was  a  cabriolet,  in  which  were  seated, 

*  la  it  worth  a  penny  ? 

+  Now  then,  gentlemen,  who'll  have  a  ahock? 

\  The  amiable  company  who  surround  me. 


186 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  UTIOKIS. 


in  military  uniform,  blowing  and  beating  themselves  to  death, 
a  pair  of  trumpeters,  a  key-bugler,  and  two  drummers.  After 
displaying  a  cake  of  his  medicine — holding  it  out  at  arm's 
length  between  his  fore-finger  and  thumb,  to  show  as  much  of 
it  as  possible,  which  he  assured  his  hearers  could  cure  anything, 
a  sickly-looking  man  stepped  up  on  the  wheel  of  the  carriage. 
"  Entrez,  mon  ami  !"*  said  ihe  hussar,  assisting  into  the  car- 
riage the  limping  impostor,  who,  with  a  number  of  twitches  in 
his  countenance,  expressive  of  great  agony,  explained  he  had 
not  only  pains  everywhere,  but  that  he  could  not  in  the  slightest 
degree  raise  his  left  arm. 

"Vous  le  jurez?"t  exclaimed  the  hussar  with  great  animation. 

"  Je  le  jure  !"|  said  the  impostor,  completing  the  oath,  by 
simultaneously  raising,  as  is  customary  in  a  French  court  of 
justice,  his  right  arm  to  Heaven. 

Preliminaries  having  been  thus  adjusted,  the  hussar  desired 
the  man  to  prepare  for  his  cure.  Accordingly  he  threw  oflF  his 
hat ;  unbuckled  his  stock ;  took  off  his  coat ;  then  his  waist- 
coat ;  and,  although  a  number  of  "  ladies"  were  present,  ho 
threw  oflF  his  shirt.  The  hussar  then  set  to  work,  and  rubbed 
him  as  seriously  and  as  recklessly  as  if  he  had  been  soaping  a 
pig,  his  band  all  the  time  playing  a  suitable  accompaniment  to 
every  movement  he  made. 

"  Raise  your  left  arm !"  said  he.  The  man  did  so,  and  pro- 
nounced himself  to  be  perfectly  cured  ! ! ! 

Another  impostor  went  through  very  nearly  the  same  form. 
At  last,  up  came  a  man  hobbling  on  crutches,  who  said  he  had 
an  excruciating  pain  in  his  hip. 

"  NO  !"  exclaimed  the  hussar,  throwing  his  head  back,  ex- 
tending his  right  arm,  expanding  his  chest,  and  looking  as 
magnanimous  as  if  he  would  die  a  hundred  thousand  painful 
deaths  rather  than  do  what  was  wrong.  "  Public  decency  for- 
bids I  should  cure  you  here !  but,"  he  added,  with  a  look  of 
well-feigned  charity  and  generosity,  "  here  is  a  cake  you  may 
take  home  with  you  to  your  wife !" 

Having  put  the  gentlemen  to  rights,  he  next  addressed  him- 
eelf  to  the  ladies ;  explained  to  them,  without  the  slightest 
concealment,  the  variety  of  little  evils  to  which  it  appears  their 
flesh  is  heir ;  and  ended  by  telling  them,  most  truly,  that  his 

*  Come  in,  my  friend!  f  Will  you  awear  sot 

X I  swear  it! 


i  / 


SUNDAY. 


V6r 


cakes  were  quite  as  good  for  them  as  for  their  husbands,  their 
lovers,  or  brothers.  As  soon  as  he  had  concluded,  to  my 
astonishment,  quantities  of  people,  like  the  English  in  1825, 
and  afterwards  in  1845  during  the  railway  mania,  "came  for- 
ward ;"  and  the  avidity  to  possess  the  specific  was  so  great  that 
the  hussar  could  hardly  pocket  their  money  and  deliver  his  yel- 
low cakes  fast  enough. 

I  now  proceeded  to  a  large  open  space  in  the  interior  of  the 
Champs  Elyseos,  in  which,  besides  nearly  thirty  bands  that 
were  playing  different  tunes  at  the  same  time,  showmen  bellow- 
ing with  their  utmost  strength,  were,  through  speaking  trumpets, 
vaunting  the  wonders  of  their  respective  exhibitions,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  were  to  be  heard  constant  explosions  of  gun- 
firing.  As  soon  as  I  had  a  little  recovered  from  the  stunning 
effects  of  these  extraordinary  noises,  under  the  shelter  of  my 
umbrella — for  it  was  raining  steadily — I  endeavoured  to  ascer- 
tain the  principal  causes  of  such  a  superabundance  of  joy. 

Around  the  square  were  arranged  in  line — as  in  an  English 
fair — canvas  theatres,  on  the  exalted  platforms  of  which  ladies 
in  evening  gowns,  cut  very  low  at  top  and  very  short  at  bot- 
tom,— gentlemen  in  brilliant  uniforms, — and  menials  with 
their  faces  powdered  and  with  cheeks  daubed  with  red  paint, 
were  contending  together  for  notice.  A  smaller  set  of  tents 
contained — to  judge  from  the  pictures  displayed  outside — won- 
ders of  all  descriptions.  In  the  middle  of  the  ground  were 
whirligigs,  montagnes  Rnsses,  wooden  horses  each  under  a 
canvas  roof,  which,  turning  round  with  it,  sheltered  the  rider 
from  the  weather,  cart-iages  and  boats  flying  round  horizontally, 
long  poles,  soaped,  with  prizes  at  the  top,  others  surmounted 
by  eagles  for  pistol  and  gun  practice. 

As  the  rain  was  coming  down  very  hard,  I  took  shelter  in  a 
little  theatre,  on  one  of  three  reserved  benches  (for  which  I 
paid  6fi?.),  each  of  which  had  a  stuffed  seat  and  back.  The  re- 
mainder, wh;ch  were  of  white  new  rough  wood  uncovered,  were 
filled  with  people  who  had  paid  for  their  admission  two  sous 
each.  After  sitting  by  myself — for  no  one  else  paid  for  the 
stuffing — for  about  five  minutes,  the  curtain  gently  rising,  dis- 
closed to  us  a  table,  at  which  were  seated  three  monkeys,  one 
dresseu  in  a  blue  coat,  with  two  large  scarlet  worsted  epaulettes. 
The  master  addressing  himself  to  this  distinguished  officer, 
asked  him  where  he  came  from.     In  reply  he  instantly  drew 


138 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENnil  STICKS. 


from  his  breast-pocket  his  passport,  which  he  unfolded  and 
presented.  "  What  is  your  name  ?"  Showing  every  one  of  a 
double  range  of  beautiful  white  teeth,  he  grinned  and  chattered 
four  or  five  times  most  violently. 

A  monkey,  dressed  in  a  cook's  white  cap,  white  linen  jacket, 
large  loose  bright-blue  calico  trowsers,  striped  down  the  sides 
with  silver  lace,  brought  in  a  pair  of  candles.  In  retiring  he 
showed  no  tail,  but  his  hands  hung  down  below  his  knees. 
The  master  now  began  to  tie  round  each  of  the  three  monkeys' 
necks  a  white  napkin.  At  the  same  moment  the  motkey  cook, 
by  untowardly  bringing  in  and  placing  on  the  table  a  large 
plate  of  salad,  set  them  all  chattering  most  violently.  In  short, 
like  greedy  children,  they  kept  looking  at  their  dinner,  instead 
of  sitting  demurely  to  have  their  pinafores  put  on.  As  soon 
as  the  last  of  the  three  was  thus  prepared,  they  all  together 
poked  out  their  long,  black,  thin,  hairy  arms,  and  amidst  roars 
of  honest  laughter  stuffed  lettuce-leaves  into  their  mouths, 
until  the  dish  was  perfectly  empty.  The  monkey  waiter  then 
brought  in  wine ;  as  soon  as  it  was  despatched,  he  walked  off 
the  stage  with  the  empty  bottle  iu  one  hand,  and  a  basket  in 
the  other.  He  then  carried  off  the  two  candles,  and  the  cur- 
tain slowly  dropped. 

In  the  second  scene  two  little  ponies  ran  round  the  stage  ; 
then  came  in  a  monkey  dressed  as  a  young  lady  ;  then  a  poodle 
dog  skipped,  looking  fearfully  at  the  rope  every  time  it  re- 
volved towards  hia  feet ;  then  he  walked  round  the  stage  on  his 
fore  feet,  with  his  hind  legs  in  the  air ;  then  cantered,  holding 
up  first  one  fore  leg,  and  then  one  hind  one  ;  and  when  all  was 
over,  ran  with  jo  '  to  his  master,  wagged  his  tail,  and,  after  a 
variety  of  movemonts,  showed  his  fidelity  by  licking  his  hand. 

Next  appeared  a  barouche,  drawn  by  two  white  poodles, 
and  driven  by  a  monkey,  with  a  comrade  footman,  who  kept 
grinning  behind, — both  dressed  in  blue  coats,  with  red  collars 
and  gold  lace.  In  the  carriage  sat  a  monkey  lady.  In  driving 
the  vehicle  round  very  fast,  it  upset,  and  the  curtain,  amidst 
roars  of  laughter,  dropped  upon  the  catastrophe. 

In  the  third  scene,  a  monkey,  with  a  sabre  in  his  hand,  and 
riding  a  dog,  was  followed  by  four  monkeys  on  foot,  the  first  of 
whom,  as  he  proceeded  on  his  hind  legs,  leant  his  head  on  the 
dog's  tail,  while  the  other  three,  also  bending  their  backs,  re* 
posed  in  like  manner  upon  him  and  upon  each  other.     After 


1/ 


SUNDAY. 


189 


sheatbing  his  sword,  the  ridor  got  into  a  swing,  in  which — as 
might  be  expected — he  underwent  with  perfect  ease,  and  ap- 
parent  enjoyment,  a  variety  of  antics. 

Two  dogs,  with  the  word  "  California"  on  their  hats,  now 
walked  in  on  their  hind  legs,  each  with  a  basket  of  yellow  metal 
in  one  hand  and  a  shovel  in  the  other. 

Three  monkeys  mounted  on  dogs  now  rode  a  steeple-chase. 
OnCj  '^g  and  all,  jumped  through  a  hoop  covered  with  paper. 
In  leaping  over  a  variety  of  fences,  which  the  dogs  took  with 
great  ease,  the  countenances  of  the  riders  assumed  that  serious 
look  which,  under  similar  circumstances,  on  larger  faces  is  oc- 
casionally to  be  seen  during  the  winter  in  some  of  our  hunting 
counties. 

A  dog,  walking  on  his  hind  legs  and  carrying  a  musket, 
now  led  in  a  monkey,  also  dressed  in  uniform,  with  two  large 
red  epaulettes.  A  monkey,  clothed  as  a  clergyman,  with  white 
bands  projecting  from  his  throat,  brought  in  a  placarded  sen- 
tence of  , 

"  Condemnation  to  death,  to  be  shot  by  his  oomeadbs." 

While  a  bell  was  slowly  tolling,  the  master  tied  a  white  hand- 
kerchief round  the  head  of  the  culprit,  who,  on  one  of  the  dogs 
levelling  ?  gun  at  him  and  then  firing  it  off,  dropped  motion- 
less. A  mournful  tune  was  heard,  and  the  monkey  priest — 
as  if  he  had  just  eaten  something  that  had  woefully  disagreed 
with  him — really  looked  very  uncomfortable.  A  monkey 
dressed  as  a  grave-digger,  in  rusty  black  clothes,  wheeling  in  a 
black  cai't,  bearing  on  its  sides  in  white  paint  death's  head, 
put  the  dead  monkey  into  it ;  in,  however,  trundling  it  away, 
he  ran  the  wheel  violently  against  a  post,  on  which  the  lid  of 
the  dead  cart,  by  a  pair  of  little  hairy-arms,  was  pushed  up- 
wards. The  corpse  looked  out — grinned — chattered  violently, 
and  at  last,  unable  any  longer  to  control  himself,  jumping  out, 
he  ran  across  the  stage  amidst  paroxysms  of  laughter,  during 
which  the  curtain  dropped,  and  in  two  minutes  the  house  was 
not  only  emptied,  but  almost  filled  again,  with  a  happy  people, 
who  for  two  sous  apiece  were  to  receive  the  enormous  amount 
of  enjoyment  I  have  but  very  faintly  described. 

On  coming  out  into  the  rain,  I  found,  close  to  the  canvas 
theatre  from  which  I  had  emerged,  a  crowd  of  people  watching 
a  small  tin  pot  lying  on  the  ground.    At  the  opposite  end  of 


;' 


t\ 


MO 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. ' 


the  little  space  roped  off,  stood  the  master  of  the  concern, 
holding  with  both  hands  an  enormous  hollow  human  head,  with 
white  curly  hair,  laughing  eyes,  and  an  almost  toothless  mouth, 
grinning  from  ear  to  ear. 

A  fine-looking  countryman  in  a  blouse,  stepped  up  to  him, 
and  in  return  for  the  payment  of  one  sou,  the  master  put  over 
his  head  the  large  hollow  one  he  held  in  his  hands.  He  then 
gave  him  a  stick,  with  which,  blindfolded  by  the  huge  extra 
skull  that  rested  on  his  shoulders,  he  was  to  walk  forward,  halt, 
and  gain  the  prize  by  hitting  the  tin  pot.  He,  however,  to  the 
music  of  a  drum  which  instantly  began  to  beat,  walked  in  the 
wrong  direction,  and  the  great  laughing  countenance  of  the 
mask  which  overwhelmed  his  head,  contrasted  with  the  anxiety 
with  which  with  all  his  strength  he  struck  the  ground  instead 
of  the  pot,  which  he  had  evidently  determined  to  smash,  was 
productive  of  great  happiness. 

In  large  booths  or  tents,  parties  of  "  ladies  and  gentlemen" 
were  to  be  seen  seated  at  little  green  tables,  on  each  of  which 
appeared  a  black  bottle,  three  or  four  tumblers,  containing  in 
different  quantities  a  red  fluid.  In  the  middle  of  the  crowd  a 
number  of  young  men  were  amusing  themselves  by  firing  al- 
most perpendicularly  with  powder  and  balls  at  a  golden  eagle 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  pole.  On  one  of  the  exalted 
platforms  of  the  small  canvas  theatres,  the  clown  was  riding 
about  on  a  pony,  very  ingeniously  constructed  of  a  hairy  sub- 
stance, lined  with  oiled  silk  inflated  with  air,  which,  by  being 
suddenly  compressed  by  the  rider's  thighs,  caused  the  head  and 
neck  of  the  little  animal  to  relax  or  start  up  exactly  as  was 
desired. 

As  from  these  joyous  assemblages  I  walked  away,  I  wit- 
nessed a  trifling  scene  which  was  really  affecting. 

A  tall  stout  man  upwards  of  six  feet  high,  of  about  forty, 
and  with  a  handsome  beard,  was  singing  and  playing  on  a  hur- 
dy-gurdy, to  a  number  of  people.  On  his  right  stood  his  old 
mother  ;  on  his  left,  his  four  children,  three  nice-looking  little 
girls,  of  about  seven,  nine,  and  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  his 
ton  about  ten ;  all  were  singing  and  accompanying  him,  the 
two  eldest  girls  on  harps,  the  younger  one  and  the  boy  on  fid- 
dles. As  the  whole  family  sang  and  played,  the  rain  continued 
to  fall  unceasingly,  and  although  the  poor  little  girls  had  tied 
white  handkerchiefs  over  their  glossy  hair,  their  nankeen 
frocks  were  evidently  dripping  wet. 


)/ 


SUNDAY, 


141 


Among  the  va: 'ous  objects  of  attraotion  was  Punoh,  who, 
instead  of  his  dog,  ht  1  sitting  on  the  narrow  stage  of  his  exalt- 
ed theatre  a  most  spiteful  cat  that,  to  the  merriment  of  the 
crowd,  bit  and  scratched  him,  Death,  the  undertaker,  every- 
body, and  eyerv  thing  that  approached  it. 

On  a  small  table  there  stood,  among  the  multitude  of 
umbrellas,  a  tall  man  dressed  like  a  sailor,  with  a  magnifi- 
cent beard,  and  with  hair  flowing  down  his  shoulders  like 
a  woman's.    At  his  side  was  a  canvas  painting  headed-— 

*  "AvANT — VssDKsn — Arsis." 

indisputably  illustrating  by  three  pictures  of  himself,  the 
effects  of  the  oil  he  was  offering  for  sale.  In  the  first  portrait 
he  appeared  bald  and  beardless ;  in  the  second  (just  after  he 
had  begun  to  use  the  oil),  there  was  on  his  chin  and  head  a 
strong  growing  crop ;  in  the  third  he  appeared — as  he  stood 
before  them — ^with  the  splendid  beard  and  chevelure  I  have 
described. 

Within  five  yards  of  him,  a  man  dressed  in  a  white  cap, 
like  a  cook,  was  selling  as  fast  as  he  could  make  them,  cakes 
which  he  baked  by  pinching  the  savourv  dough  of  which  they 
were  composed  with  not  tongs,  on  which  the  rain  occasionally 
hissed  as  it  fell. 

A  little  further  on,  hoping  to  get  under  shelter,  I  followed 
a  party  through  a  slit  in  a  canvas  screen,  within  which  in  the 
open  air  there  stood  for  exhibition  in  an  evening  gown  a  young 
woman  who  had  not  only  a  regular  long  beard  and  mustachios, 
but  whose  shoulders  and  back  were  covered  with  hair.  "  Tou- 
chez  le,  Monsieur  i"t  she  said  to  me,  pointing  to  her  beard. 
The  men  present,  showing  their  white  teeth,  laughed,  but 
some  ladies,  who  had  walked  in  immediately  after  me,  stood 
looking  at  her  back  and  chin,  and  then  at  each  other,  with 
countenances  of  silent  horror,  which  it  would  be  quite  impossi- 
ble to  describe.  ! 

Notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  the  whirli- 
gigs, wooden  horses,  and  oarriases  heavily  laden  with  joyous 
faces,  were  spinning  round  in  aU  directions.  Guns  were  firing, 
cymbals  clanking,  drums  beating,  wind  instruments  of  all 
descriptions  resounding,  and,  louder  than  all,  the  speaking- 


'i^ 


♦  Beforo — dtunng-— after. 


f  Touch  i1^  Sirt 


142^ 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


ti 


trumpets  of  the  various  little  theatres  and  shows  ir^tt  a^a« 
rently  announcing  to  the  whole  world  the  unspeakable  delignts 
of  the  gradd  Sunday  f^te  of  the  Bepublio. 

In  returning  homewards,  I  saw  in  the  Ohamps  Elys^es, 
in  the  open  air,  and  in  front  of  the  Caf§  des  Ambassadeurs, 
amidst  some  thousand  empty  chairs,  twenty-four  waiters  in 
white  neckcloths  and  white  aprons  standing  chattering  to  each 
other  in  the  drizzling  rain.  As  I  was  pitying  them,  the  master' 
Of  the  establishment,  a  young  man  of  great  intelligence,  walked 
up  to  me.  He  obEferved  that  I  saw  before  me  400  tables,  3000 
chairs,  and  that,  to  supply  the  guests  he  had  expected,  he  had 
engaged  for  that  day  eighty  waiters.  I  sincerely  condoled 
n^ith  him  on  the  loss  he  must  inevitably  sustain.  "Ah !"  he 
i^eplied  ,with  a  slight  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  and  a  countenance 
beaming  with  good  humour.  It  was  all  he  said,  or  seemed 
to  wish  to  say,  on  the  subject.  I  then  spoke  of  the  unfortunate 
political  condition  of  Paris.  "  "We  have  plenty  of  Royalists," 
he  said,  ''  but  they  are  all  quarrelling  among  each  other  about 
the  individual.  We  have  also  plenty  of  honest  Bepublioans, 
but  they  quarrel  about  the  individual  too.  People  tell  me  we 
must  cut  off  the  heads  of  one  of  the  two  parties ;  out,  he  added, 
With  the  very  same  slight  shrug,  "  it  is  impossible  I" 

At  the  corner  of  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  I  found — all 
wearing  eharp-poiuted  beards — the  Q-arde  Mobile,  or  Gendar- 
mes Mobiles,  the  finest  looking  troops  in  Paris.  The  variety 
of  names  which  this  force  has  been  obliged  to  wear  is  rather 
striking.  It  wac  ut  first  called  "  Guet  Boyal ;"  then  "  Guet 
Assis ;"  then  "  Garde  de  Paris ;"  then  "  Guet  de  Paris ;"  then 
Garde  Nationale  Sold^e ;"  then  "  L6gion  de  Police."'  By  the 
decree  of  the  10th  of  April,  1813,  there  was  created  and  organ- 
ized,  for  the  protection  of  the  metropolis,  a  corps  entitled 
"Gendarmerie  Imp^riale  de  Paris."  By  the  royal  ordonnanoe 
of  the  31st  May,  1814,  it  took  the  name  of  "Garde  Boyale." 
On  the  14th  April,  1815,  by  order  of  the  Bevolutionists  it  re- 
sumed the  name  of  "  Gendarmerie  Imp^riale."  On  the  10th 
of  January,  1816,  by  order  of  the  Bourbons,  it  returned  to  the 
nftme  of  "  Garde  Boyale ;" — and  on  the  16th  of  August,  1830, 
a  decree  was  issued,  changing  its  name  to  "  Garde  Munioi- 

ThetrM-^eiruiitiUi  (fbr  the^'haif^'  Wlk  o«^tiim^j9)fiB  H' 
present  cipmposed.  of  a  strange  and  very  striking  mii^ture  of 


SUNDAY. 


143 


of 


colours,  as  follows  : — The  black  cap, — bound  at  top  with  silver, 
ornamented  at  the  side  with  a  double  angle  of  silver  and  scar- 
let, and  a  cockade  of  silver  also  edged  with  scarlet,  and  in  front 
by  a  scarlet  tuft'  a  resplendent  silver  eagle  and  wreath,  be- 
neath which  projects  horizontally  the  black  peak, — is  secured 
on  the  head  by  black  patent-leather  straps  beneath  silver  chains 
that  meet  under  the  chin.  The  coat,  which  has  long  skirts, 
lined  with  scarlet,  is  dark  blue,  with  scarlet  edging  to  the  cuffs. 
The  epaulettes  are  of  white  worsted ;  the  buttons  of  silver. 
The  cross-belts,  which  pass  diagonally  over  the  chest,  of  light 
yellow,  edged  with  white.  From  the  left  shoulder  there  hangs 
through  and  round  the  left  arm  a  long  white  cotton  aiguiletto, 
festooned  to  the  upper  right  breast  buttons  of  the  coat.  The 
trowsers  are  light  blue ;  the  boots  black.  Affixed  to  the  back 
is  a  small  light-brown  hairy  deer-skin  knapsack,  surmounted 
by  a  blue  greatcoat,  neatly  fastened  in  a  roll  by  three  yellow 
straps.  The  gloves  are  very  light  yellow.  The  broad  belt  of 
the  bright-barrelled  musket  and  the  small  pouch  for  percussion 
caps  are  of  a  darker  yellow,  similar  to  that  of  the  cross-belts. 

Close  to  the  guard-room,  dressed  in  black  glazed  hats  on 
which  was  written — 

«Salubrit6, 
"  Cantonnier," 

and  in  blouses  l^aoed  round  the  waist  by  black  leather  belts, 
were  several  men,  employed  by  the  police  to  keep  the  streets 
clean ;  they  work  from  four  in  the  morning  till  four  at  night, 
for  which  they  receive  40  sous  (Is.  8f/.)  a  day,  paid  to  them 
three  times  a  month. 

In  Paris  the  proprietors  of  every  house  are  required  to 
sweep  the  foot-pavement  opposite  to  their  respective  domiciles. 
The  remainder  of  the  street  is  cleaned  by  the  city,  who  instead 
of  letting  the  work  by  contract,  employ  such  numbers  of  "  Can- 
tonniers  "  as  they  may  deem  necessary.  In  winter,  of  course, 
more  are  required,  besides  which  3000  additional  men  have  oc- 
casionally been  employed  to  break  the  ice  in  the  gutters  and 

*  carry  away  it  and  the  snow  to  the  Seine. 

On  ascending  the  steps  of  the  church  of  the  Madeleine, 
most  magnificently  ornamented,  I  stood  for  some  time  on  the 
exalted  platform   looking  at  the   moving  mass   of  umbrellas 

»   which,  without  interval  or  interruption,  appeared  to   extend 


144 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


across  tKo  Place  and  Pont  de  la  Concorde  to  the  lofty  columns 
of  the  National  Assembly.  Within  the  church  I  heard  re- 
sounding mass  and  prayers ;  outside,  and  close  to  me,  men  ia 
blouses  were  working — without  metaphor — like  the  very  devil, 
with  saws,  tin  ware,  and  lamps,  preparing  for  the  illuminations. 

A  tide  of  well  dressed  people,  without  crushing  each  other's 
dresses,  were  slowly  flowing  into  the  church  at  one  door  and 
out  of  it  by  another.  On  entering  with  the  stream,  after  listen- 
ing for  a  few  moments  to  the  organ  loudly  pealing,  I  observed 
on  both  sides  of  the  door,  half  seated  and  half  kneeling,  a  lady, 
dressed  in  the  height  of  the  fashion,  to  receive  (each  in  a  crim- 
son velvet  purse  bound  with  gold)  contributions  on  behalf  of 
the  poor.  One,  in  mourning,  was  about  forty ;  the  other,  nearly 
thirty,  and  who  was  endeavouring  to  make  her  mouth  look  as 
devout  and  as  pretty  as  possible,  was  in  colours.  Both  had  in 
their  laps  splendid  prayer-books  bound  in  crimson  velvet  and 
gold. 

Tn  the  vicinity  of  the  church  was  a  body  of  troops  standing 
in  the  rain'  under  arms,  or  rather  leaning  on  them.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  good  humour  that  beamed  in  their  counte- 
nances. On  their  right,  looking  as  merry  as  a  grig,  I  observed 
the  drummer,  like  a' hen  on  her  nest,  sitting  with  his  scarlet 
trowsers  on  his  drum  to  keep  it  warm  and  dry. 

After  mingling  in  the  chequered  scenes  I  have  described  for 
about  nine  hours,  I  crawled  home  quite  tired  at  half-past  six. 
However,  as  I  felt  resolved  to  see  the  fSte  out,  as  soon  as  I  had 
had  my  dinner — and,  instead  of  heating  wine,  a  little  rest — I 
sallied  forth  again,  and  was  no  sooner  out  of  my  door  than  I 
found  myself,  as  before,  in  a  moving  mass  of  umbrellas. 

After  looking,  until  it  became  dark,  at  various  illuminations 
— before  lighting  the  lamps,  I  saw  the  men  employed  to  do  so 
pour  off  the  water  that  lay  in  a  stratum  above  the  hard  tallow 
— and  especially  at  the  fountains  on  the  Place  de  la  Concorde, 
now  converted  into  glittering  cascades  flowing  over  baskets  of 
roses,  I  proceeded  to  the  bridge,  which  was  so  crowded,  that 
with  considerable  difiiculty  and  by  very  slow  degrees  I  was 
enabled  to  advance.  The  only  point  at  which  I  and  every- 
body had  an  appearance  of  hurrying  was  through  a  broad  pool 
of  rain  water,  about  eight  inches  deep,  at  the  edge  of  which  all 
paused  until,  amidst  loud  laughter,  they  mustered  courage 
enough  by  twos  and  throes  to  run  through  it. 


i  / 


SUNDAY. 


145 


The  good  humour  and  real  politeness  of  the  crowd  were 
beyond  all  description ;  and  although  everybody  had  not 
onl^  to  take  care  of  him,  or  her  self,  but  of  an  umbrella, 
which,  for  want  of  room  often  unintentionally  committed 
very  grave  offence",  I  heard  around  me  in  all  directions 
nothing  but  joy  and  jokes.  In  trying  to  advance  my  pa- 
rapluie  during  ehe  heavy  rain,  I  very  unfortunately  knocked 
a  young  gentleman's  hat  off  into  the  mud.  '^  Ah  I"  exclaimed 
a  man  in  a  Mouse,  as  the  owner  ran  to  pick  it  up, "  vous 
aurez  un  coup-rie-soleil  I"  •    The  proprietor,  however,  as  he 

Eut  the  dripping  thing  on  his  wet  head,  laughed  as  good- 
umouredly  as  the  rest 
As  I  passed  the  ma^ificent  colossal  group  of  the  Tritons, 
sea-horses,  &c.,  in  the  middle  of  the  bridge,  representing  the 
Genius  of  Navigation,  I  remained  of  opinion  that  the  artist 
had  entirely  spoilt  it  by  leaving  the  plaster  snow-white.  On 
crossing  the  bridge,  however,  and,  after  a  deal  of  patience, 
obtaining  a  place  close  to  the  railings  overlooking  the  Seine, 
I  had  occasion  to  acknowledge  my  error :  for  while,  fancying 
that  with  more  wisdom  than  other  people  I  had  discovered  a 
great  fault,  I  was  actually  looking  at  the  majestic  group,  it 
all  of  a  .sudden,  and  apparently  of  its  own  accord,  became 
tinged  with  a  light  bluish  hue,  producing  the  most  beautiful 
effect  that  can  possibly  be  conceived.  The  change  proceeded 
from  a  small  barge  moored  about  one  hundred  yards  down 
the  stream,  in  which  was  concealed  a  powerful  artificial  light 
of  the  colour  described,  which  through  a  large  lens,  like  that 
of  a  magic-lantern,  was  at  a  given  moment  made  to  radiate 
upon  the  white  group  to  give  to  it  the  unearthly,  mysterious, 
lovely  tint,  from  all  directions  hailed  with  well-merited 
applause. 

The  picture  was  now  complete ;  for  simultaneous  with 
the  alteration  of  light  an  immense  mass  of  water,  conducted 
through  iron  pipes  of  ten  and  eighteen  inches  in  diameter, 
was  made  to  flow  from  beneath  the  group  in  cascades  over 
the  masses  of  artificial  rocks,  interspersed,  as  I  have  stated, 
with  fir-trees  of  various  ages  and — as  if  from  wind  or  from 
the  force  of  the  torrent — ^in  various  attitudes.  In  the  river 
beneath  every  barge  and  boat  was  beautifully  illuminated) 

*  Ahl  yoti  will  have  a  ooup-de-soleil  I 
% 


146 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


.1 

and  wherever  my  eyes  wandered  there  appeared  through  the 
darknefls  a  picturesque  mixture  of  light,  colours,  and  flaffs. 
In  a  short  time  tho  pale  blue  group,  as  well  as  the  rocks,  the 
boats  in  the  river,  and  even  the  countenances  of  the  people 
that  stood  dripping  by  my  side,  assumed  a  beautiful  red  hue, 
then  they  became  brignt  green,  and,  when  tho  artificial 
lights  which  gradually  and  successively  had  caused  these 
striking  changes  expired,  the  blue  bull's-eye  which,  although 
it  had  been  for  the  moment  overpowered,  had  continued  un- 
ceasingly shining  upon  its  object,  recovering  its  power,  shed 
its  pale  lovely  cerulean  influence  as  before. 

As,  perfectly  unconscious  of  the  rain,  I  was  enjoying  the 
scientific  changes  I  have  described,  I  heard,  at  a  considerable 
distance,  a  very  slight  insignificant  explosion,  followed  in- 
stantly by  a  general  murmur  of  applause.  Some  said,  Oh  I 
some.  Ah  I  some,  Ai  I  in  short,  the  groan  of  delight  from  the 
whole  assembled  multitude  was  apparently  composed  of  the 
joint  utterance  by  innumerable  voices  of  the  vowels  a,  e,  i,  o, 
u,  forme .^.  into  one  long  drawling  word.  On  looking  in  the 
direction  in  which  everybody  seemed  to  look  and  groan,  I  saw, 
high  up  in  the  darkness,  a  dense  mass  of  falling  stars  of  every 
possible  colour,  announcing  the  commencement  of  the  fire- 
works at  the  Champs  do  Mars,  at  the  Barri^re  du  Tr6ne,  on  the 
Seine,  and  in  various  other  localities.  Occasionally  the  suc- 
cess of  these  feux  d'artifice  was  only  announced  to  us  by  a 
faint  and  distant  cheer ;  but  every  five  or  ten  minutes  they 
rose  and  burst  r.i  a  great  height,  with  a  variety  and  splen- 
dour which  appeared  to  afford  everywhere  intense  delight. 

During  the  time  I  remained  leaning  against  the  railings 
overlooking  the  Seine,  only  about  two  rows  of  people  behind 
me  (all  of  whom  were  under  umbrellas)  could  manage  to  get 
an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  cascades,  illuminations,  &o.,  to 
the  remainder  almost  invisible ;  and  yet  at  no  moment  did  I 
receive  the  slightest  pressure,  nor  did  I  hear  a  single  com- 
plaint or  even  observation  respecting  the  innumerable  little 
streams  of  water  which  from  one  person's  umbrella  were  run- 
ning into  his  neighbour's  neck,  and  vice  versa. 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night  I  abandoned  my  position  to  go  to 
my  lodgings.  In  returning  along  the  Pont  de  la  Concorde,  I 
came  into  a  tide  of  people,  all,  like  myself,  homeward-bound, 
all  in  good  humour,  all  happy.    There  was  no  pressing,  no 


SUNDAY. 


147 


,1,0, 


run- 


1^0  to 
le,  I 
|und, 
no 


confusion.     Most  of  the  women  had  nothing  on  their  heads 
but  white  caps ;  many  were  carrying  in  their  arms  dripping 
children.     As  the  merry  mass  moved  along,  the  rain,  which 
for  the  last  hour  had  been  steadily  increasing,  was  to  be  seen 
pattering  upwards  from  the  asphalte  pavement  of  the  Place  de 
la  Concorde.     On  reaching  the  covered  colonnade  of  the  Buo 
de  Bivoli,  it  was,  of  course — especially  for  ladies  whose  silk 
cloaks  and  backs  were  dripping  wet — a  haven  of  considerable 
importance,  yet  I  particularly  observed  no  one  tried  to  hurr^ 
into  it  before  the  person  that  preceded  him,  or  even  to  enter  it 
until  he  or  she  could  do  so  without  pressing  upon  any  one  else. 
On  the  whole,  as  I  entered  the  welcome  door  of  my  home,  I 
felt  very  deeply  that,  instead  of  regretting  the  weather  they 
had  experienced,  there  was  nothing  in  the  f6te  I  had  just  wit- 
nessed that  conferred  half  so  much  real  honour  on  the  Repub- 
lie  as  the  urbanity,  politeness,  and  social  virtues  which  the 
French  citizens,  under  circumstances  of  untoward  disappoint- 
ment, had  just  evinced  in  the  celebration  of  its  anniversary ;  and 
yet,  although  liberty,  fraternity,  and  equality  had  really  been 
the  happv  characteristics  of  the  d?^  \ ,  it  is  an  anomalous  fact 
that,  while  every  citizen  of  Paris  was  enjoying  the  festival  of 
his  independence  from  the  power  of  monarchy,  the  garrison  of 
Paris,  consisting  of  an  army  of  60,000  soldiers  were — except- 
ing the  guards  I  have  mentioned,  and  occasionally  a  dragoon 
trotting  through  the  streets  with  a  despatch — confined  to  their 
barracks  the  whole  of  the  day,  to  prevent  the  overthrow,  by 
"  the  people,"  of  the  very  republican  system,  the  iestablishment 
of  which  was  apparently  producing  among  them  so  muoh  hap- 
piness and  joy  I 

The  expenses  of  the  f6te,  indirectly  as,  well  as  directly, 
must  have  been  enormous ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  although 
I  had  been  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the  gratulatory  roar 
of  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides,  and  although  my  ears  had  been 
assailed  by  appeals  of  applause  and  of  noises  of  approbation 
of  every  possible  description,  I  did  not,  from  morning  to  night, 
once  hear  the  voice — even  of  a  child — exclaim  "  Vive  la  Rk- 

PUBLIQUE  !" 

As,  on  reaching  my  room,  I  was  pretty  well  tired  out,  I 
soon  made  preparations  for  going  to  bed ;  and  yet,  before  do- 
ing so,  I  could  not  help  reflecting  with  pride  and  pleasure  on 
a  statement  still  lying  on  my  table,  in  Galignani's  newspaper, 


"1-^ 


148 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FSENCH  STICKS. 


annonnoiiig  the  respect  whioh  in  England,  on  that  day  week. 
Prince  Albert  and  the  Royal  Commission  had  publicly  paid  to 
the  sabbath,  by  suspending  on  it  all  work  at  the  Crystal 
Pakoe,  although,  by  doing  so  their  pledge  to  the  whole  family 
of  mankind  to  open  it  on  the  1st  ox  May  was  in  danger  of  be- 
ing broken. 

The  fbllowing  little  <<  duloe-domum"  paragraph,  contrasted 
with  the  scenes  I  had  just  witnessed,  pleasingly  corroborated 
the  same  important  moral : — 

From  the  'llmeB'  of  Monday.  "Yesterday  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
attended  the  early  Bervice  and  received  the  eaorament  in  the  Chapel 
Royal,  St  James V' 


»•• 


m 


■^  I 


THE  OCULIST. 


Before  I  left  England  I  had  been  strongly  recommended  to 
ascertain  in  London  Who  was  the  best  oculist  in  the  French 
metropolis ;  I,  however,  took  especial  care  to  do  no  such  thing, 
but,  on  the  seconct  day  after  my  arrival  in  Paris,  called  upon 
Mr.  Swann,  an  Englisli  chemist  of  very  high  character,  and, 
after  explaining  to  him  my  anxiety  on  the  subject,  I  put  the 
important  question  to  him. 

"Sir,"  he  replied,  "  I  will  give  you  the  name  and  address 
not  only  of  the  best  oculist  in  Paris,  but,  I  believe,  in  Europe !" 
he  added  that  the  proper  way  of  consulting  him  was  to  go  to 
his  house,  where  he  received  his  patients  every  day  except 
Saturday  till  two  o'clock ;  and  as  he  further  advised  me  to  go 
early,  on  the  next  morning  I  left  my  lodgings  at  a  quarter  be- 
fore seven,  and  crossing  the  Place  de  Yenddme  (the  sentinel 
at  the  foot  of  Napoleon's  column,  pacing  backwards  and  for- 
wards, had  in  a  great-coat — ^which,  I  believe,  belonged  to  tlie 
sentry-box — ^a  large  hok 


"If  there'»  a  hole  in  a*  yere  coatci^ 
*  I  rede  ye  tent  it: 

A  ohiers  amang  ye  takin'  noteis 
Anfaithhe'flprentit")  V\     . 

afterwards  the  Boulevart  des  Italiens,  and  then  entering  the 


THE  OCULIST. 


149 


Rue  de  la  Chauss^e  d'Antin,  I  proceeded  along  it  until  I  saw 
over  a  handsome  porte-ooohero  the  No.  50. 

I  asked  the  concierge  if  Dr.  Sichel  lived  there  % 

"  Au  premier,  Monsieur,"*  she  replied. 

So  up  stairs  I  mounted,  and  on  tiie  first  landing  place, 
ringing  at  the  bell,  the  door  was  opened  by  a  lad  dressed  in 
a  sort  of  half  uniform  half  livery,  who  showed  me  into  two 
drawing-rooms,  handsomely  carpeted,  the  walls  of  which  were 
surrounded  by  chairs,  on  which  I  saw,  seated  in  silence,  and 
in  various  attitudes,  eight  or  ten  persons.  The  boy  told  me 
in  French  "  to  give  myself  the  trouble  4o  sit  down."  On  my 
doing  so,  he  went  to  his  little  desk,  opened  a  little  drawer, 
and,  putting  his  hand  into  it,  he  brought,  and,  without  the 
utterance  of  a  word,  delivered  to  me,  a  little  bit  of  wood 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  square,  on  which  was  inscribed  the 
figure  11. 

"What  is  this?"  said  I  to  him  in  French. 

"  Monsieur"  he  replied,  "  c'est  votre  num^ro  "t  and  then, 
turning  on  his  heels  and  walking  across  the  carpet,  he  seated 
himself  at  his  desk  with  his  face  towards  the  wall. 

In  glancing  at  those  who  at  the  early  hour  I  have  named 
had  come  before  me,  I  saw  in  a  chair  opposite  me  an  offi- 
cer in  blue  uniform  and  red  collar,  wearing  the  cross  of  the 
legion  of  honour ;  beside  him  sat  a  lady  in  a  white'  bonnet, 
within  which  was  an  exceedingly  pretty  face,  a  quantity  of 
black  hair  parted  on  the  forehead,  and  m  the  place  of  whis- 
kers two  slight  wreaths  of  light  green  flowers.  Next  to  her 
sat  a  poor-looking  paysanne  in  a  milk-white  cap,  with  frills 
beafttifolly  plaited,  and  with  a  black  shawl  neatly  thrown 
over  her  shoulders,  confined  across  the  breast  by  one  long 
pin  stuck  in  diagonally.  Of  the  party  assembled,  some  with- 
out very  much  expression  of  countenance  were  leaning  their 
chins  on  umbrellas,  others  sat  ruminating  with  their  arms 
stiffly  extended,  their  hands  one  over  another  resting  on  a 
stick.  One  poor  lady,  evidently  suffering  great  pain,  kept  her 
white  pocket-handkerchief  on  her  eyes.  Next  to  her  sat  a 
powerful-looking  man  in  blouse. 

I  was  examining  my  little  wooden  ticket,  and  was  reflect- 
ing on  the  extraordinary  disposition  for  order  and  system 


•  On  the  first  floor,  Sir. 


f  Sir,  it  is  your  number! 


150 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBEISCH  STICKS, 


\^ 


•"••f 


which,  in  spite  of  her  interminable  political  disorderB,  and  re- 
peated annihilation  of  every  system  of  government,  pervades 
France,  when  the  bell  rang,  and  the  boy,  as  suddenly  as  if 
the  wire  had  pulled  him  too,  jumped  up,  and  then  opening  the 
door,  ushered  in  two  ladies,  to  the  eldest  of  whom  he  gave  a 
wooden  ticket,  which  she  received  witl^  silence,  and  then  with 
her  young  firiend  sat  down  almost  immediately  opposite  to 
me. 

No.  1 1's  eyes  immediately  looked  at  No.  12's  eyes  sym- 
pathetioally  to  discover,  if  possible,  what  was  the  matter  with 
them,  At  which  the  eyes  of  No.  12's  friend  sparkled  atd  glis- 
tened,  as  much  aS  to  say,  "You  are  mistaken,  Sir,  if  you  think 
we  are  either  sick  or  sorry !" 

The  bell  every  now  and  then  intermittently  gave  another 
ring,  until  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  room  was  nearly 
full  of  eyes,  some  evidently  suffering  so  severely  that  with 
habitual  caution  I  began  to  reflect  whether,  in  my  visit  I 
might  not  possibly  catch  more  than  I  had  come  to  have 
cured. 

For  a  considerable  time  we  all  sat  in  mute  silence,  and 
indeed,  in  our  respective  attitudes  almost  motionloHS ;  save 
that  every  now  and  then  a  gentleman,  and  sometimes  a  lady, 
would  arise,  slowly  walk  diagonally  across  the  carpet  to  a 
comer  close  to  the  window,  press  with  his  or  her  hand  the  top 
of  a  little  mahogany  machine,  that  looked  like  an  umbrella- 
stand,  look  down  into  it,  and  then  very  slowly,  at  a  sort  of  fu- 
neral pace,  walk  back. 

All  this  I  bore  with  great  fortitude  for  some  time ;  at 
last,  overpowered  by  curiosity,  I  arose,  walked  slowly  and  di- 
agonally across  the  carpet,  pushed  the  thing  in  the  corner 
exactly  as  I  had  seen  everybody  else  push  it,  looked  just  as 
they  did,  downwards,  where,  clos^  to  the  floor,  I  beheld  open, 
in  obedience  to  the  push  I  had  given  from  the  top,  the  lid  of 
a  little  spitting-box,  from  which  I  very  slowly,  and  without 
attracting  the  smallest  observation,  walked  back  to  my  chair. 

The  silence  continued  for  a  long  time  ;  at  last  with  groat 
joy,  I  first  heard  and  then  saw  the  magsive  door  of  admission 
to  Dr.  S.  open,  and  I  was  expecting  to  see  No.  1  ri^e  from 
her  chair,  when  a  sort  of  clerk,  who  hardly  li  minute  before 
had  walked  across  the  carpet  into  the  room  beyond  the  said 
solid  door,  re-appeared,  carrying  through  the  two  waiting-^ 
rooms  on  his  right  arm  a  dark-ooloured  ooat  and  waistcoat. 


THE  OCULIST. 


15i 


,  Several  other  patients  now  arrived,  and  in  a  few  minntes 
the  solid  door  again  opened,  the  same  clerk  again  walked  out 
of  it,  carrying  in  his  right  hand  a  pan  of  ashes  out  of  a  grate. 

Although  my  time  was  of  some  little  value  to  me,  I  felt 
it  was  no  use  to  be  impatient,  and  as  everybody  looked  good- 
humoured  and  contented,  I  determined  to  try  and  follow 
their  example. 

I  own,  however,  that  my  countenance  fell  a  little  (I  am 
describing  what  not  only  occurred  on  my  first  visit,  but  that 
which  recurred  on  every  subsequent  one  I  made)  on  seeing 
the  boy  who,  unobserved  by  me,  had  disappeared  from  his 
desk,  open  the  entrance  door,  cross  the  carpet,  and  walk  to- 
wards the  solid  door,  carrying  in  both  hands  a  tray  oontain- 
ing  a  large  cup  of  coffee,  two  or  three  rolls,  and  some  butter, 
which  he  took  into  the  chamber  in  which  we  were  all  event- 
uatlly  to  appear.  Subsequently,  he  opened  in  the  drawing- 
room  a  cupboard,  into  which-^seating  himself  close  before  it 
—  "'6  put  a  large  cup  of  coffee,  a  large  slice  of  bread,  and 
h-  and  instinctively,  his  own  head.  In  fiiot,  it  was  evi- 
('■.;*;.  bat,  such  is  the  fame  and  amount  of  practice  of  Dr. 
B.,  that  his  patients,  competing  one  against  another,  are  in 
the  habit  of  invading  his  house  and  seating  themselves  in 
his  drawing*room  before  he  has  dressed  or  before  hA  or  hifl 
servants  have  breakfasted.  '' 

About  eight  o'clock — ^which  was  quite  as  early  as  any 
physician  could  reasonably  be  expected  to  begin  his  labour — 
the  lad  reappeared,  and,  calling  out  "  Num^ro  1,"  a  poor  wo- 
man arose  from  her  seat,  and  entered  the  doctor's  door. 

In  about  seven  or  eight  minutes  No.  2  was  called,  and  |S0 
pn  till  Nos.  4  and  5,  when  I  observed  :that  the  next  person, 
q,nd  after  him  the  next,  that  were  called,  were  two  gentlemea 
(each  taking  in  with  him  a  lady),  who  had  only  just  arrived. 
This  appeared  to  me  so  unjust  that  I  could  not  resist  com- 
plaining of  it  to  a  man  in  a  blouse,  who  had,  for  upwards 
of  half  an  hour,  sat  in  silence  besides  me. 

"  lis  sont  docteurs  !"*  he  replied  ;  and  I  then  learned  it  is 
the  habit  in  Paris,  in  all  waiting-rooms  of  this  nature,  for 
professional  men  bringing  patients  or  clients — the  terms,  alas  I 
are  but  too  often  synonymous — to  be  admitted  as  fast  as  they 
i^rrive — ^in  fact,  to  toke  precedence  of  everybody  else. 

*  fThey  are  doctorsi 


L  t 


152 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


w 


By  this  rule  I  was  often  bothered  a  great  deal ;  for  while 
I  sat,  believinff  I  was  next  to  be  called,  the  bell  would  ring, 
and  there  w6md  enter  the  waiting-room  a  gentleman,  of  whom 
I  heard  whispered,  with  a  slight  shrug — ^the  meaning  of  which 
I  but  too  well  understood — ^"  Encore  nn  docteur  I'"* 

«  The  De'll  flee  awa'  with  the  doctors  I"  I  very  improperly 
muttered  to  myself.  However,  every  dog  hu  his  day,  and 
accordingly,  in  due  time,  on  the  lad  calling  out  my  number,  I , 
arose,  and,  entering  the  door  I  had  so  long  been  wistfully 
looking  at,  I  was  received  by  Dr.  S.,  whose  intellectual  coun- 
tenance at  once  promised  me  all  I  could  possibly  desire. 

I  was  going  to  speak  to  him,  but  he  ver;^  properly  insist- 
ed first  of  all  on  looking  at  my  eyes,  and  havmg  done  so,  beg- 
gins  me  to  be  seated,  and  sitting  opposite  to  me,  he  said  to 
me  in  French,  with  a  look  of  perfect  resignation,  ^'  I  am  wi- 
ling now  to  hem  whatever  you  may  thinkproper  to  say ;"  and 
he  added  that,  as  I  was  apparently  an  ikgushman,  I  might 
address  him  in  my  own  language. 

Nothing  could  be  more  sensible,  satisfactory,  and  pleasing 
than  his  whole  manner.  He  spoke  JBnglish  with  great  fluency 
and  with  good  pronunciation ;  and  after  he  had, explained  to 
me  the  nature  of  the  disorder  in  my  ,eyes,  which  he  termed 
in  writing  "  Blephamphthalmie,"  and  which  he  said  he  had  no 
doubt  he  could  cure,  he  requested  me  to  follow  him  into  an 
adjoining  room,  where  he  would  give  me  a  prescription. 

In  wis  little  chamber  there  sat,  close  to  a  comfortable 
fire,  an  intelligent-looking  young  man  of  slight  figure,  with  a 
beard  and  mustachios.  On  a  small  table  before  him  were  pens, 
paper,  sand,  ink,  coffee,  rolls,  and  butter.  Dr.  S.  dictated  to 
him  for  about  a  minute,  and  then,  leaving  me  seated  opposite 
to  him,  he  returned  into  the  larger  apartment  in  which  he 
had  received  me. 

Besides  the  gentleman  before  me,  I  saw  in  one  comer  of 
the  little  room  a  round  tin  table,  surrounded  by  a  projecting 
rim,  around  wh*'^h  were  seated  several  persons,  men  and  wo^ 
men,  each  incessantly  dabbing,  first  one  eye  and  then  another, 
with  a  sponge  repeatedly  moistened  from  a  tumbler  full  of 
liqaid. 

While  this  transaction  was  going  on,  the  gentleman  oppo- 
site to  me,  the  instant  Dr.  S.  had  left  the  room,  began  to  write 

•  Another  doctor  I 


TBE  OOUUST. 


168 


ont  my  presoription,  which  I  expected  would  have  been  ez 
pressea — as  it  had  been  pronounced— in  very  few  words. 

I,  observed,  however,  that  after  lilling  one  side  of  a  sheet 
of  large  note  paper,  he  turned  it  over,  and  on  the  other  side 
continued  to  write ; — Then^  in  deep  reflection,  he  sat  for  a  few 
seconds  looking  at  the  ceiling ; — ^then  he  wrote  a  line  or  two ; 
—-and  stopped ;-— then  took  a  bite  at  his  roll :— -munched  ;-— 
reflected ; — and'then  wrote  again.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished, 
he  arose,  knocked  hard  with  his  knuckle  at  the  door  of  J>t. 
S.,  who  almost  immediately  entered. 

In  a  very  calm,  impressive  manner  he  gave  directions  to 
several  patients,  who,  besides  those  dabbing,  were  seated  in 
the  room ;  and  with  great  pleasure  I  observed  that  to  the  ap- 
parently rich  and  poor — ^for  he  neither  knew  nor  cared  for 
the  name  of  any  of  us — ^there  was  not  in  his  manner,  language, 
or  .anxiety  to  explain  himself,  the  slightest  shade  of  difierence ; 
— ^his  whole  mind  being  evidently  entirely  engaged  in  curing 
them  of  their  respective  disorders. 

Proceeding  for  an  instant  into  one  comer  of  the  room,  he 
returned  with  a  small  squirt  in  his  hand,  and,  walking  up  to 
a  very  pleasing-looking  young  woman,  without  the  utterance  of 
a  single  word,  with  his  left  fore  finger  he  drew  down  the  lower 
lid  of  her  right  eye,  and  then  with  his  right  hand  squirted 
into  it  something  which  to  my  utter  astonishment  set  her  off 
spitting  and  malting  horrible  faces,  just  as  if  she  had  swal- 
lowed the  most  nauseous  medicine ! 

"  Ah !"  she  said  in  French,  "  I  taste  it  all  in  my  throat ; 
ah !"  she  repeated,  spitting  into  her  handkerchief  several 
times,  "  que  c'est  mavauis  !"* 

"  Well .  .  .  !"  said  I  to  myself,  with  a  long  sigh,  "  there  is 
no  end  to  the  high-ways  and  by-Vays  of  this  world  !" 

Leaving  her  to  make  exactly  what  faces  she  liked.  Dr.  S. 
now  walked  to  his  secretary,  who  delivered  to  him  my  pre- 
scription which  he  read  word  by  word,  with  an  attention  that 
appeared  to  engross  his  whole  mind.  He  then  not  only  read 
it  again  over  to  me,  but  explained  it  to  me  very  carefully  ; 
in  short,  his  appearance,  demeanour,  and  conduct,  were  alto- 
gether strongly  corroboraiive  of  the  high  character  he  had 
attained,  and  which  causes  him  to  be  engaged  in  the  way  I 


*  How  nasty  it  isi 


7# 


154 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


have  described,  every  dav  ezoepting  Saturday,  until.  two\ 
«  o'clock,  wl^en  he  drives  in  his  carriage  to  patients  who  are  too 
noh,  too  ill,  or  too  idle  to  wait  upon  him. 

On  leaving  him,  I  deposited  my  prescription  with  Mi*, 
Swann,  from  whom  during  the  few  minutes  I  remained  in  his 
shop,  I  happened  to  learn  a  few  of  the  innumerable  clever 
ways  in  which  medicine  is  now  concocted  in  France. 

The  most  nauseous  drug,  in  the  form  of  paste,  is  wrapped 
np  in  a  wafer  paper  made  soft  and  pliable  by  being  damped 
with  perfectly  sweet  oil,  by  which  means  a  very^  large  m%ith< 
M  of  physic  may  be  swallowed  with  exactly  as  much  ease  as  a 
piece  of  turtle  or  a  mass  of  masticated  meat  of  the  same  size. 
For  children,  a  peck  of  pills  are  sent  at  a  time  to  a  confec- 
tioner, to  be  covered  over  with  so  thick  a  coating  of  sugar, 
that  they  may  be  ver^r  agreeably  sucked  for  a  lone  time ;  and 
thus,  merely  by  making  children  promise  faithmlly  not  to 
bite  them,  mediclQe  is  now  administered  in  the  form  of 
sugar^plums  i 

"  Sttochi  amari,  ingannato,  intanto,  ei  beve, 
E  dall' iuganno  suo,  vita  riceve." 


■■'•■♦»" 


h6tel  des  invalides. 


1  HAD,  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  been  gazing,  or  rather'gsping— 
everybody  in  Paris  was  doing  the  same — at  the  rows  of  col- 
oured lamps,  magnificent  statues,  and  other  reminiscences  of 
the  grand  by-gone  f^te  of  yesterday,  and,  resting  heavily  on 
my  stick,  was  standing  on  the  Pont  de  GoncordWj||ween  the 
group  of  sea-horses  and  the  temporary  colonnatiUjwhioh  like 
a  pair  of  wings  had  grown  from  each  side  of  that  magnificent 
edifice,  thd  National  Assembly,  when  I  observed  that  there 
had  occasionally  passed  me  several  officers  in  full  uniform, 
and  several  people  dressed  en  bourgeois,  whose  -hurried  pace, 
contrasted  with  the  sauntering  attitudes  of  the  crowd  through 
whom  they  had  wound  their  way,  evidently  showedgtiiey  were 
on  some  trail — in  short,  hunting  w.  :  something.  U^^. 
As  I  had  nothing  very  partior    :  to  do,  I  watdlb^  i^e 


SOTEL  DUS  mVAUDBS. 


150 


coarse  thev  pursued,  and  finding  that  as  soon  as  they  oame  in 
front  of  the  Assembly,  they  all,  as.  if  b^  word  of  oommand. 
turned  to  the  right,  I  proceeded  to  the  point,  and^  waited  until 
there  approached  me,  walking  very  quickly,  ui  officer  in  the 
uniform — -blue  coat  with  broad  red  facings — of  the  Garde  "SO- 
publicaine.  On  my  asking  him  to  be  so  obliging  as  to  tell  me 
^here  he  was  goj^,  with  the  utmost  kindness  of  manner  he 
informed  me  he  Was  hastening  to  the  H6tel  des  Invalides,  to 
join  in  the  fdte  commemorative  of  the  death  of  Napoleon,  of 
whichj^i^ay,  he  added,  was  the  anniversary.  As  soon  as 
we  ^^>fl|MH[^^  bowed  to  each  other,  my  '  nant  proceeded 
on  hil^pp^,  quite  refreshed,  and  in  a  few  seconds  I  found 
myself  fife^ly  following  him  along  the  Quai  D'Or^ay,  until  on 
my  left  I|came  to  the  magnificent  esplanade,  1440  feet  in 
length,  bpirSO  broad,  leading  from  the  Seine  to  that  splendid 
pile  of  Duildings,  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides.  This  avenue, 
which  of  late  years  has  been  bounded  on  each  side  by  low  tem- 
porary barracks,  one  story  high,  capable  of  containing  7000 
troops,  was  all  alive  with  people,  most  of  whom  were  arranged 
in  twc^ows,  leaving,  in  the  broad  pav6  in  the  centre  of  the 
road,  a  passage,  which  I  soon  learned  was  for  Prinoe  Louis 
Napoleon,  whose  arrival  was  momentarily  expected. 

Instead  of  taking  up  a  position  at  this  point,  I  proceeded 
to  the  ir^n  gates  of  the  Garden,  and  without  provoking  a. dif- 
ficulty, Qt  teazing  anybody  by  asking  questions,  I  walked  into 
it  as  fpniliarly  as  if  I  had  been  born  there.  On  each  side  of 
the  handsome  broad  approach  to  the  magnificent  hospital  be- 
fore n^  were  drawn  up  in  line  the  3000  veterans  who  inhab- 
ited it^OOO  of  whom  had  served  under  "  L'Emperevr" — and 
\  maxi  interesting  picture  could  scarcely  be  witnessed. 

Riding  black  nalberds,  at  the  upper  end  of  which  was  «' 
fmaS  tricolor  flag,  surmounted  by  a  piece  of  crape,  they  were 
dressed  in  ^  cocked  hat,  worn  crossways,  it  la  Napoleoii,  blue 
||0ose  coat,  lined  with  red,  red  cufis  and  sleeves,  silver  buttons, 
ft  single  white  cross  belt,  and  a  short  thin  sabre.  Among  the 
ranks  of  brown  faces  enlivened  with  little  ear-rings,  here  and 
there  hung  many  an  empty  sleeve ;  beneath  them  were  to  be 
jseen  many  a  wooden  leg.  A  few  appeared  hale;  but  the 
greater  number  were  thin,  shrivelled,  bent,  and  toothless,  i 
Some  jSitood  totterin^v  and  yet  almost  all  looked  gay,  with 
^,08  eiill  sparkling  with  enthusiasm.  One  only  was  yawning. 
Ia  the  resui  observed  several  inoving  about  on  orutohes. 


/ 


156 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Not  a  l)eard  was  to  be  seen.  They  hpi  lived  without  jt— 
iiad  oonqaered  without  it — had  received  tiueir  wounds  without 
it,  and  very  probably  they  now  dsdained  to  adopt  it.  Com- 
paratively speaking,  few  even  w^re  mustachios,  and  it  was 
pleasing  to  reflect,  that,  while  the  countenance  of  Europe  has 
lately  become  overgrown  with  hair,  the  weather-beatca  faces 
of  the  veterans  of  France  and  England  -^niinue  as  closely 
shaved  as  when  they  grappled  with  each  other  on  the  bloody 
fields  of  Egypt,  the  Peninsula,  and  Waterloo. 

Besides  those  on  duty  in  the  two  lines  befoni  me,  and  in 
the  interior  of  the  building,  a  number  of  the  veterans  were 
either  standine  or  loitering  about. 

Oocasionally  their  attention  aS  well  as  mv  own  waj  at- 
tracted to  some  officer  of  rank,  in  full  uniform,  hastily  walking 
up  the  space  between  them  towards  the  great  hospital  After 
seveial  had  passed— each,  I  observed,  was  more  or  less  oom- 
mentied  upon — there  strutted  by,  to  my  great  astonishment,  a 
remarkably  stout,  portly,  handsome,  well-fed,  oily-looking  priest 
in  his  canonical  dress,  with  the  cross  and  scarlet  riband  of 
*^  Grand  Commandeur  of  the  Legion  of  Honour"  dangling  on 
his  black  breast 

"  What !  do  they  decorate  the  priests  ?"  said  I,  to  a  veteran 
by  m^  side.  With  indescribable  apathy,  he  replied,-  "  Oui. 
Monsieur,  on  leur  donne  les  mdmes  croiz  que  les  militaires."* 

<'  Was  it  so  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor?"  I  said. 

''  AJi  que  non  l"t  he  exclaimed,  tossing  up  his  head  with 
such  haughty  recollections  that  he  lost  his  balance,  and  stag- 

gered  backwards  a  little.     "  Sacre  nom  i"  he  added,  as  soon  as 
e  had  recovered  himself. 

One  of  the  Old  Guard  now  conversed  with  me  for  some 
time.  He  told  me  he  had  served  in  Paris  an  English  noble- 
man (Lord  •  •  •  •  •  *) — ^"trds  brave  homme— jusqu'li  son 
papa  I'a  rappel6."t 

Finding  that  I  wished  to  get  a  good  view  of  Prince  Louis 
Napoleon,  he  advised  me  to  walk  vp  to  the  entrance  door  of' 
the  Invalides,  at  which  he  would — ^i^e  said — descend  from  his 
carriage.     I  accordingly  followed  his  advice,  and,  reaching 
the  point,  found  no  one  there  excepting  a  sentinel,  and  the 

*  Ye%  Sir,  they  give  them  the  same  oroBaes  as  the  army.  ,    , 

f  Oh,  no ! . . .  Holy  name  I 

\  Yery  fine  feUow—until  his  papa  called  him  home. 


HOTEL  DE3  mVALWBS. 


isr 


Lieutcnant-Gorernor  of  the  Invalides,  General  Petit,  a  fine- 
looking  old  soldier,  with  a  healthy  colour,  white  xnustaohioB, 
and  an  intelligent  oountenanoe,  evidently  aooustomed  to  eom- 
mand.  He  was  dressed  in  a  hat  bound  round  with  very 
broad  gold  laoe ;  a  gold  sash ;  across  his  blue  uniform  and 
gold  epaulettes  he  wore  a  broad  crimson  riband ;  round  his 
arm  and  the  handlc^of  his  sword  was  a  piece  of  crape. 

I  had  scarcely  reached  the  spot,  when  I  perceived  by  a 
movement  among  the  veterans  who  were  not  on  duty — ^for 
those  in  line  stood  as  erect  and  as  firm  as  they  could — ^that 
the  object  of  their  expectation  was  in  yiew.  Instead,  how- 
ever,  of  driving  u^  to  the  Invalides,  Prince  Louis  Napoleon 
descended  from  his  carriage  at  the  iron  gate,  and  r  soon 
saw  him,  followed  by  a  numerous  staff,  advancing  on  foot 
along  the  road  which  traverses  the  garden,  and  which  is 
about  160  yards  in  length.  As  he  approachea  me,  I  of  course 
took  off  my  hat,  and  without  presuming  to  bow — many  years 
a^o,  whenne  was  in  England,  I  had  been  slightly  acquainted 
with  him — I  was  standing  uncovered  with  it  in  my  hand, 
when  to  my  surprise  he  was  pleased  to  acknowledge  me,  with 
BO  much  apparent  good  will  and  kindness,  of  which  I  had  af- 
terwards repeated  proofs,  that  as  soon  as  he  passed  I  quietly 
slipped  among  his  staff,  and  with  the  procession  slowly 
marched-  on — 1  hardly  knew  where. 

After  several  turns  and  twists,  of  which  there  remains  in 
my  mind  but  a  confused  dreamy  sort  of  recollection,  I  found 
myself  walking  up  the  aisle  of  a  chapel, — sixty-six  feet  high, 
the  floor  of  which,  210  feet  long,  was  covered  with  black 
cloth, — ^between  two  rows  of  soldiers  wearing  their  caps,  and 
holding  in  their  hands  halberds  bearing  a  small  tricolor  flag 
surmounted  by  crape.  Excepting  compartments  in  which 
were  shields  bearing  in  silver  the  letter  Ng  ^^^  church  was 
all  hung  with  black.  The  whole  wall  aiound  the  altar — 
transparently  veiled  with  crape — was  covered  with  black 
cloth,  and  the  chairs  throughout  the  aisle  were  also  black.  In 
the  time  of  Napoleon  there  were  here  suspended  3000  ban- 
ners of  victory.  On  the  evening,  however,  before  the  en- 
trance of  the  allied  army  into  Paris  (the  31st  March,  1814), 
Joseph  Buonaparte,  through  the  Due  de  Feltro,  minister  of 
war,  ordered  them  to  be  burnt,  and  the  sword  of  Frederick 


the  Great  to  be  broken, 
before  they  were  obeyed. 


Thrice  were  these  orders  given 


: 


158 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


Toward»  the  roof,  the  ohapel  was  ornamented  with  count- 
less  flags  and  trophies  faded,  and  in  holes  apparently  from  shot 
and  musketry.  Beneath  them,  in  a  gallery,  were  to  Se  seen  a 
variety  of  beautiful  bonnets,  each  encircling  a  couple  of  rows 
of  flowers,  and  a  face,  I  suppose — to  tell  the  truth,  I  did  not 
analyze  them — representing  either  Spring,  Summer,  Autumn, 
or  Winter.  Excepting  the  aisle  along  which  we  passed,  the 
body  of  the  church  was  choke  full  of  gentlemen,  principally  in 
nniform.  The  altar,  veiled  with  crape,  was  but  a  temporary 
screen,  behind  which,  and  immediately  beneath  the  lofty  gilt 
cross  on  the  summit  of  the  great  dome,  reposed,  after  all  its 
eventful  travels,  the  body  of  Napoleon,  in  a  tomb  which  has 
already  cost  6,163,324  francs,  of  which  1,500,000  have  be*en 
for  the  marble  alone. 

His  nephew,  surrounded  by  the  principal  of&cers,  took  up 
his  position  on  the  left  of  this  altar.  Immediately  above  him, 
suspended  from  the  roof,  was  the  great  parasol  of  the  Emperor 
of  Morocco.  For  about  two  or  three  minutes  he  stood — and  of 
course  everybody  else  stood — perfectly  upright  He  appeared 
wrapt  in  thought,  until,  suddenly  awakening  from  his  medita- 
tions, he  slightly  bowed  and  sat  down.  In  a  few  seconds 
those  immediately  about  him  sat  down  too,  and  then,  like  a 
third  echo,  a  rustle  was  heard,  caused  by  everybody  else  sit- 
ting down.  ''  Portez  vos  armes  !"  *  exclaimed,  in  a  firm, 
strong  tone,  the  officer .  commanding  the  veterans,  standing 
with  their  cocked  hats'  h.  la  Napoleon.  The  muffled  drums 
rolled.  The  priests,  congregated  in  a  small  sc^uare  space,  half- . 
way  up  the  church,  now  began  the  service  of  high  mass,  which, 
assisted  by  an  organ,  and  also  by  a  band,  they  performed  with 
admirable  voices  and  great  effect.  On  the  rails  of  the  altar 
there  hung  a  great  round  yellow  wreath  of  immortelles,  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  diameter. 

The  countenance  of  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  throughout 
the  whole  ceremony  wore  that  mild,  pensive  expression  for 
which  it  is  remarkable.  Of  the  rest  of  the  congregation,  a  , 
considerable  proportion,  especially  the  youngest,  looking  up 
at  the  gallery,  instead  of  at  the  altar,  seemed  to  be  thinking 
more  about  the  eyes  of  the  living  than  the  bones  of  the  dead ; 
, — ^in  fact,  to  say  the  truth,  they  were  not  yery  partioidarly  at- 
tentive. 

I  *  Moulder  armst 


,"v 


HOTEL  DES  INVALJDES.  ^59 

As  soon  as  the  solemn  requiem  was  over,  Prince  Napo- 
leon rose,  and,  followed  b^  his  attendants,  slowly  walked  down 
the  aisle,  and  then  quitting  the  ohapel  proceeded  into  the 

great  court,  315  feet  long  by  192  broad,  called  the  "  Gour 
'Honneur,"*  in  which  I  found  assembled  for  reyie\f  the 
whole  of  the  veterans  of  the  establishment  capable  of  stand- 
ing in  the  ranks,  in  which  they  were  already  arranged.  Above 
them,  on  the  outside  of  the  south  wall  of  the  quadrangle,  at 
the  height  of  the  second  story,  there  stood,  with  folded  arms, 
with  a  cocked-hat  placed  crossways  on  his  nead,  and  with  two 
or  three  circular  wreaths  of  yellow  "immortelles"  at  his  feet, 
a  bronze-coloured  colossal  statue  of  Napoleon,  12  feet  high,  a 
fac-simile,  in  plaster,  of  that  on  the  summit  of  the  Place  de 
Yendftme. 

At  any  time  it  would  have  been  to  me  a  great  enjoyment 
to  witness  this  assemblage ;  but  there  was  one  circumstance 
which  rendered  it  particularly  interesting.  On  the  anniver 
sary  of  the  death  of  Napoleon,  the  wreck  of  the  great  army 
who  followed  him  with  reckless  enthusiasm  wherever  he  went 
claim  the  privilege  of  appearing  in  the  review  which  follows 
the  requiem  I  had  just  witnessed,  in  the  old-fashioned,  eccen- 
tric, and  almost  grotesque  uniforms  in  which  they  had  fought 
and  been  wounded.  As,  therefore,  I  followed  the  Prince  and 
his  sta£f  down  the  ranks  of  m?Ti,  some  of  whom,  with  severely 
wounded  faces,  appeared  so  lean  and  wasted,  as  if  the  slightest 
puff  of  wind  would  blow  them  down,  I  occasionally  passed  mi- 
litary costumes  which  almost  startled  me,  so  different  were 
they  from  that  to  which  the  eye  had  gradually  become  accus- 
tomed. Some  of  the  jackets  in  front  scarcely  covered  the 
breast-bone,  and  when  viewed  behind  appeared  to  cover  no- 
thing at  all ;  in  fact,  the  wearer  was  all  trowsers,  epaulettes, 
and  hairy  cap.  Several  men  wore  bright-yellow  leather  pan- 
taloons, and  Hessian  boots  bound  with  gold  with  gold  tassels 
in  front;  some  were  dressed  in  black  breeches,  and  long  black 
gaiters  strapped  round  above  the  knee ;  some  wore  yellow 
trowsers,  with  the  name  of  their  regiment  on  the  skirt-tails  of 
their  coat. 

As  Prince  Lor.TS  Napoleon  marched  down  the  ranks  of 
.bright,  intelligent  nazel  eyes  that,  as  he  approached  them,  ap- 
.peared  to  be  re-animated  for  the  moment  with  pristine  vigour, 

'"  -    *  Court  of  Honour. 


160 


A  FAOOOT  OF  FREyCH  STICKS. 


he  oooasionallv  stopped  before  any  veteran  whose  wounds,  ap- 
pearance, or  history  made  him  particularly  worthy  of  atten* 
tion,  and  spoke  to  him.  While  he  was  so  engaged,  the  con- 
trast between  his  easy  pliant  manner  and  the  straight,  stiff, 
upright  attitude  of  the  veteran,  of  whose  head  nothing  but  the 
thin  lips  were  seen  to  move,  was  very  remarkable.  At  one 
of  the  soldiers  who  was  thus  distinguished  I  gazed,  as  I  passed 
him,  with  great  interest.  He  was  a  short,  spure,  diminutive, 
thorough-bred  looking  little  creature,  of  Arap  breed,  with  an 
aquiline  nose,  vigorous  countenance,  eyes  bright  as  a  hawk, 
and  with  a  countenance  altogether  highly  excited,  probably  by 
the  reooUeotion  of  former  days,  by  the  sight  of  tne  nephew  of 
his  old  master,  and  by  the  few  flattering  words  lust  uttered  to 
him.  But  what  he  seemed  to  be  most  proud  of,  and  what 
seemed  also  to  be  ezoeedinsly  proud  of  him,  were  four  bullet- 
holes  in  the  cloth-turbaned  cap  on  his  head.  He  had  been 
one  of  Napoleon's  body-guard ;  had  been  constahtly  about  his 
person ;  and  he  now  stood  before  his  nephew  in  the  full  cos- 
tume of  the  ancient  corps  to  which  he  had  belonged,  well 
known  and  respected  by  the  whole  army :  "  Mameluke  de  la 
Garde  I"    The  words  wore  evidently  impressed  in  his  brain. 

As  soon  as  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  had  finished  his  inspec- 
tion, accompanied  by  his  suite,  he  walked  in  procession  through 
the  garden  to  the  iron  entrance  gate,  where  were  assembled  a 
large  crowd,  and,  amidst  loud  cheers  of  ^  Vive  Napoleon  I"  be 
entered  his  carriage  and  drove  off;  and  as  the  veterans  had 
already  been  dismissed  from  their  parade,  the  garden  in  which  I 
stood  was  soon  thronged  by  them.  The  crowd  outside,  with  faces 
pressing  against  the  railings,  seemed  to  look  with  intense  in- 
terest and  delight  on  the  old  uniforms  stalking  about  before 
them,  as  if  they  and  their  wearers  had  Just  arisen  from  the  fields 
of  Austerlitz,  Jena,  and  Marengo.  Several  of  those  veterans, 
not  members  of  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides,  as  they  walked  into 
the  crowd  to  return  to  their  homes,  were  followed  by  a  halo  of 
people,  almost  treading  on  each  other's  heels,  from  over  anx- 
iety to  obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  uniforms  which  had  been  "  the 
Glory  of  the  Empire."  Even  within  the  garden,  many  of  the 
wearers  of  the  old  costumes  were  surrounded  by  their  comrades 
clothed  in  the  garb  of  the  Invalides.  The  ^eat  favorite,  how- 
ever, was  the  fierce,  fiery,  fire-eating,  enthusiastic  little  Mame- 
luke, with  the  four  bullet-holes  in  his  cap.    I  saw  several  old 


:i 


HOTEL  DES  JNVALWES. 


161 


grenadiers,  almost  as  thin  and  emaciated  as  skeletons,  one  after 
another  shake  his  uplifted  small  hand  ;  and  when,  after  having 
received  their  welcome  homage  to  his  valor,  he  entered  the 
crowd,  it,  I  have  no  doubt,  formed  his  guard  of  honor  till  he 
reached  his  humble  dwelling  in  Paris. 

As  soon  as  the  excitement  of  the  moment  had  subsided, 
when  the  crowd  outside  had  dispersed,  while  a  few  groups 
only  of  veterans  were  to  be  seen  conversing  together,  and  when 
the  leanest  and  most  infirm  had  seated  themselves  on  the 
benches  which  in  various  directions  had  been  appropriated  for 
their  use,  I  looked  for  a  few  moments  at  the  general  outline 
of  the  magnificent  building  of  the  H6tel  des  Invalides,  the  en- 
trance-front of  which,  612  feet  in  length,  but:  jounted  in  the 
rear  by  the  spacious  dome,  is  composed  of  four  stories,  wil  tx  an 
additional  story  or  row  of  windows  in  its  tall  slated  roof 

On  the  extreme  left  are  the  quarters— occupying  io^^x  win- 
dows in  front — of  Prince  Jerome,  Napoleon's  brother,  the 
governor  of  the  establishment.  On  the  extreme  right  are  the 
quarters — also  occupying  four  windows  in  front  —  o*  Gene- 
ral Petit,  the  lieutenant-governor.  Behind  this  splen  ^lyl  front 
are  four  infirmary  squares,  each  of  the  four  sides  of  wh:Gh  is 
one  story  high,  with  one  set  of  windows  in  the  roof;  also  four 
officers'  squares,  of  the  same  elevation.  The  groumd  occupied 
by  the  buildings,  courts,  and  gardens  of  the  H6tel  deb  Inva- 
lides is  sixteen  acres. 

After  looking  about  me  for  a  short  time,  I  sat  lown  on 
one  bench  and  then  on  another,  to  converse  with  the  veterans 
who  were  occupying  it ;  and  although  nothing  oftentimes  could 
be  more  frail  than  their  bodies,  yet  I  certainly  waS  very  much 
struck,  not  only  with  their  polite,  highbred  manners,  but  with 
the  extraordinary  vigour  which,  generally  speaking,  remained 
in  their  minds.  To  one  of  the  most  sturu .  ;>f  my  companions 
I  expressed  a  wish  to  walk  over  the  buildiu^  j  and  as  he  cheer- 
fully proposed  to  be  my  guide,  I  felt  I  had  oetter  allow  him  to 
go  his  own  way,  and  accordingly,  just  m  if  he  had  been  exceed- 
ingly hungry,  or  had  fancied  that  I  was,  he  led  me  first  of  all 
into  the  cooking  department,  oompcsed  of  one  small  kitchen  for 
the  soldiers,  and  one  large  one  for  officers. 

In  the  former — ^whioL.,  although  very  high  and  well  venti- 
lated, was  scarcely  30  feet  square,  and  which  contained  no  open 
fire-plaoe — ^where  two  large  hot  plates,  each  containing  max 


u 


1^2  ^  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS.         , 

great  patent  oaldrons  for  boiling,  and  ovens  for  balkjing,  all 
eated  by  coal.  In  this  small  space  there  can,  by  the  admira- 
ble arrangements  described,  be  cooked  provisions  for  six  thou- 
sand persons  per  day  1  In  the  caldrons,  which  were  all  sooia-. 
bly  bubbling  together,  there  appeared  some  green  stu£f  that 
looked  like  spinach,  or  smashed  greens.  On  a  table  adjoining 
were  large  pewter  plates  full  of  brown  beans,  just  peppered,, 
salted,  and  vinegared,  and  with  a  small  heap  of  salad  sitting  on 
the  top,  Each  of  these  messes  was  for  twelve  soldiers.  There 
)yere  also  to  be  cooked  for  that  day's  consumption,  for  the  vete- 
jrans  alone,  no  less  than  5,200  eggs. 

"  Don't  you  give  them  any  meat  ?"  I  said  to  the  head  cook, 
a  highly  intelligent-looking  man,  dressed,  Jiead  and  all,  in  milk- 
white. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  on  Monday  we  shall  kill  thirty- 
five  sheep  for  the  men  alone  I" 

In  the  large  kitchen  for  the  officers  were  two  oaldrons,  simi- 
lar to  those  described,  each  capable  of  boiling  1,200  lbs.  of 
meat,  with  a  fireplace,  before  which  appeared  two  spits  of  enor- 
mous length,  covered  from  end  to  end  with  revolving  joints  of 
meat,  roasting  by  wood,  burning  a  few  inches  only  above  the 
ground. 

From  the  kitchen,  the  sole  object  of  which  was  to  sustain 
the  hody^  my  conductor  very  naturally  led  me  to  the  larder 
instituted  by  Napoleon  for  the  nourishment  of  the  mind  of  his 
veterans,  a  library  containing  about  17,000  volumes  of  an  ex- 
ceedingly tough  nature — "  indigestaque  moles" — namely,  juris- 
prudence, theologv,  belles  lettres,  and  strategy,  ornamented 
with  a  model  of  the  Hdtel,  with  a  portrait  of  Louis  Philippe 
swearing  to  observe  the  Charter,  and  with  the  well-known 

Eicturo  of  Napoleon  riding  up  Mount  St.  Bernard,  in  so  un- 
orseroanlike  an  attitude,  that,  had  he  ever  assumed  it,  he  must 
inevitably  have  rolled  off  backwards. 

After  passing  along,  on  the  second  story,  a  corridor  or 
colonnade,  forming  in  bad  weather  a  beautiful  promenade  for 
the  inmates  of  the  establishment,  I  asked  my  guide  to  show 
xne  the  dormitories  of  the  men.  He  said  they  did  not  like 
to  be  visited  by  the  innumerable  strangers  who  came  to  see 
the  establishment,  adding,  with  a  smile,  "  as  if  they  were  wild 
beasts ;"  however,  the  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mo^th, 
when,  with  that  politeness  which  in  France  constitutes  -the 


HOTEL  DES  INVALIDES. 


If63 


wish  of  a  stranger  to  be  the  law  of  the  land,  he  opened  a  door, 
and  led  me  through  one  of  the  largest,  containing  about  fifty 
beds,  composed  of  ft  straw  paliasse,  wool  mattress  and  bolster, 
separated  from  each  other  by  a  chair,  for  which  there  was 
just  space  enough.  Over  the  pillow  of  each  veteran: — several 
of  them  I  observed,  each  in  his  uniform,  either  sitting  ru- 
minating in  his  chair  or  reclining  on  his  bed — ^was  affixed  a 
shelf,  on  which  were  folded  clothes  and  articles  of  different 
sorts.  The  lot,  however,  whatever  it  was  composed  of, 
appeared  invariably  surmounted  with  a  huge  cocked-hat  box,  ' 
of  colored  pasteboard.  There  are  in  the  first  and  second 
stories  of  the  establishment  eight  of  these  spacious  well-aired 
dormitories,  bearing  the  following  names  :— Salle  de  Vauban ; 
d'Hautpool ;  de  Luxembourg ;  de  Mars ;  d'Assas  ;  de  Latour 
d'Auvergne;  de  Bayard ;  de  Kleber.  Besides  the  above  are 
several  smaller  dormitorier,  containing  from  four  to  eight 
beds  each. 

My  guide  now  conducted  me  to  a  very  busy  and  interest- 
ing scene. 

On  entering  a  long  corridor,  open  to  the  air,  I  found 
assembled  a  large  number  of  old  soldiers  crowding  round  a 
door,  into  which  they  were  apparently  waiting  for  admission, 
but  before  which  there  was  pacing  up  and  down,  as  sentinel, 
a  one-armed  veteran,'  who,  for  want  of  a,  better,  was  holding 
in  his  left  hand  his  drawn  sword,  the  empty  scabbard  of  which 
was  suspended  by  a  white  belt  across  his  chest.  Each  man 
in  the  crowd  had  an  empty  bottle  in  one  hand,  and  in  the 
other  (if  he  had  one)  a  white  napkin,  containing  his  knife, 
fork,  and  tin  drinking-mug.  Of  those  who  were  approaching, 
many  were  stone-blind,  each  tapping  the  ground  hard  with  his 
stick  at  every  step  he  took.  In  one  instance  I  saw  two  sight- 
less old  soldiers  leading  each  other.  In  all  directions  was  to 
be  heard  the  stumping  of  wooden  legs.  One  veteran  wore  a 
black  cap,  in  consequence  of  a  wound  in  the  skull.  Many 
were  singing.  The  instant  the  clock  struck  four  a  general 
restless  movement  took  place.  A  drum  close  behind  me 
suddenly  gave  a  loud  and  startling  roll.  At  the  words 
''  Allez  f  entrone  !  "*  uttered  by  several  voices  at  once,  the 
pne-armed  sentinel  stood  aside,  and  the  whole  mass,  without 


*  C!omei  let  us  enter  I 


\\ 


164 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


pashing  eadli  other,  but  without  losing  a  single  instant  of 
time,  flowed  through  the  door  into  an  immense  dining-room, 
160  feet  in  length  by  24  in  breadth,  in  which  in  a  few 
minutes  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  them  seated  on 
wooden  stools,  around  thirty-one  circular  tables,  at  each  of 
which  were  twelve  veterans.  The  walls  which  contained  this 
interesting  assemblage  of  old  warriors,  who,  although  seated, 
all  wore  either  their  cocked-hats  or  undress-caps,  were  covered 
with  pictures  of  great  battles,  and  at  the  end  there  very  pro- 
perly appeared  the  portrait  of  Louis  XIV.,  the  founder  of  the 
establishment. 

As  soon,  as  all  were  seated,  and  while  a  cheerful  hum  of 
conversation  was  resounding  throughout  the  hall,  a  boll  rang, 
in  obedience  to  which  there  very  shortly  appeared  entering  at 
the  door  a  quantity  of  men-cooks,  carrying  trays  full  of  green 
stuff,  embossed  with  poached  eggs  ;  and  m  a  few  seconds  the 
mouths  which  just  before  had  been  talking  were  all  busily 
eating. 

A  few,  however,  of  the  blind,  who — ^like  wounded  animals 
separating  themselves  from  the  herd — ^preferred  dining  by 
themselves,  got  up,  and  with  their  dinners  in  their  hands,  and 
a  bottle  of  wine  (their  daily  allowance)  under  their  arms, 
they  tapped  across  the  floor — out  of  the  door — along  the  open 
passage — ^until,  coming  to  the  foot  of  a  staircase — they 
ascended  each  to  his  own  room  of  utter  darkness.  Those  who 
have  not  appetite  to  eat  their  allowance  of  food,  &c.,  may 
claim  money  instead ;  and  to  those  who  have  wooden  logs 
their  shoe  money  is  honestly  refunded. 

There  are  in  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides  three  other  large 
dining-rooms,  similar  to  that  I  have  just  described  ;  and  as 
they  all  could  not  contain  much  above  half  the  number  of 
inmates,  there  are  two  services  for  each  meal.  One  of  the 
four  large  halls  is  used  as  a  mess-room  for  the  officers,  who 
are  served  upon  plate,  the  gift  of  Marie-Louise.  It  coutaius 
twelve  tables,  with  \  reive  chairs  at  each. 

As  I  had  insisted  on  my  attendant  leaving  ma  to  eat  his 
dinner,  I  sat  down  on  a  stone  bench  close  to  the  open  door  of 
the  dining-hall,  before  which  the  one-armed  sentinel  continued 
to  pace  ;  and  as  beside  me  theie  reposed  a  fine  old  fellow  twho 
was  not  to  dine  till  the  second  service  at  five  o'clock,  we  very 
soon  entered  into  conversation.    After  talking  very  quietly  on 


HOTEL  J)£S  INVALWES. 


165 


a  Variety  of  srlj;  cts,  on  all  of  which  he  appeared  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly well  in  t'ormed,  I  asked  him  whether  he  was  with 
the  Emperor  at  Waterloo  ?  He  said  "  No ;"  he  had  been 
taken  in  Eussia,  and  at  the  period  I  referred  to  had  been 
marching  as  a  prisoner  for  nine  months. 

"  You  muiBt  have  undergone  great  hardships  in  that  Bus* 
sian  campaign,"  I  said  to  him. 

"  Monsieur  !  "  he  replied,  with  great  energy,  "  depuis  que 
ce  monde  a  ^t6  un  monde,  jamais  le  soldat  n'a  tant  souffert  I"* 

"  Alleis,  mon  vieux  papa  I  "f  he  added,  rising  from  the 
stone  bench  on  which  we  were  seated,  to  conduct  by  his  long 
lean  arm  to  the  foot  of  the  staircase  a  tall,  old,  blind  fellow- 
comrade,  who,  tapping  his  stick  at  every  step,  was  evidently 
from  false  reckoning  bearing  down  right  upon  us. 

"  You  were  beaten,"  said  I  to  him,  as  soon  as  he  had 
again  quietly  seated  himself  by  my  side, ''  not  by  your  ene- 
my, but  by  climate." 

"  Non,  Monsieur,"  he  replied  with  great  firmness,  '^  faute 
de  vivres !  "J 

"  If  a  horse,"  he  added,  ''  has  nothing  in  his  belly," — 
twitching  himself  up,  he  here  put  both  his  fists  into  the 
vacuum  in  his  dark-blue  cloth  waistcoat — "-  il  ne  pent  pas 
aller ;  c'est  le  mSme  pour  le  soldat."^ 

"  It  is  very  true ;"  I  said, ''  you  must  have  had  a  rough 
time  of  it." 

"  Ah  !"  he  said,  after  several  moments'  mute  reflection, "  qa 
me  parait  un  r^ve  d'avoir  6chapp6  de  ce  que  j'ai  vu  l"|| 

At  this  moment  a  veteran,  with  two  worsted  stripes  on  his 
arm,  passed  us.  I  asked  my  comrade  what  was  his  rank.  He 
replied  he  was  a  corporal ;  that  a  sergeant  has  one  stripe  in 
silver,  a  sergeant  major  two  in  silver ;  the  same  as  throughout 
the  French  service.  He  told  me  the  soldiers  of  the  army  of 
France  rank  as  follows  ; — 1.  Invalides ;  2.  Les  Marins ;  3. 
Garde  R^publicaine :  4.  Gendarmes  Mobiles ;  5.  La  Troupe.1R^ 

*  Sir !  since  tlus  world  has  be«n  a  world,  never  has  the  soldier  suffered  • 
BO  much  1 

This  way.  my  old  papa  1 

From  want  of  food.  . 

Be  can  go  no  longer :  it  is  the  same  with  the  soldier. 
Ahl  it  seems  to  me  like  a  dream  to  have  escaped  from  what  I  hav« 
eceni  ■        ■  ^ 

•[  The  Line. 


u 


i66 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FRMOE  STICKS. 


As  soon  as  we  we're  both  safl|oiently  rested  we  sepbrate^ 
In  orossine  the  great  entrance  garden  of  the  Inyalides  I 
stopped  to  look  at  a  long  line  of  very  highly  ornamented  brass 
guns  and  mortars,  trophies  of  victory  ft*om  Prussia,  Algeria, 
&o.,  overlooking  the  soarp-wall  and  fosse,  or  green  ditch,  which 
bound  the  northern  front.  About  forty  feet  in  the  rear  of 
these  pieces  of  artillery  there  are,  parallel  with  them,  a  row, 
with  intervals  between  each,  of  stone  benches,  almost  all  of 
which  were  oooupied  by  the  old  soldiers^— many  of  whom  had, 
no  doubt,  taken  part  in  capturing  the  guns  before  them — some 
with  a  wooden  leg  or  two  sticking  out  horizontally ;  some  with 
one  arm ;  some  with  a  patch  before  an  eye,  &o.  &c.  One  was 
reading  a  newspaper ;  many  were  smoking.  On  one  of  these 
benches  I  sat  down,  touching  my  hat  to  nobody  and  to  nothing, 
an  attention  immediately  returned  in  like  manner  by  the  old 
soldier  beside  me.  In  front,  and  between  us  and  the  guns, 
were  strolling  up  and  down  the  intervening  terrace  four  French 
ladies  beautifully  dressed,  with  a  footman  in  a  gold-laced  and 
gold  bound  hat,  very  gaudy  livery,  and  milk-white  gloves, 
stumping  close  behind  them.  On  the  back  of  the  H6tel  des 
Invalides  I  Lad  observed,  written  in  large  black  letters,  "  Li- 
bert6,  Fraternity,  Egalit6  ;"  arid  «  yet,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  the 
governor  of  the  noble  establishment  on  which  these  words  are 
inscribed  is  a  field-marshal  and  a  prince  ;  the  lieutenant-com- 
mandant is  a  general,  having  under  him  a  colonel-mnjor,  3  ad- 
jutant-majors, 3  sub-adjutant-majors,  14  chefs  de  division,  14 
adjutants  de  division,  14  sub-adjutants  de  division,  1  almoner, 
2  chaplains,  1  head  physician,  1  head  surgeon,  1  head  apothe- 
cary, 10  assistanto,  26  sisters  of  charity,  and  260  servants  of 
all  kinds.  The  governor  has  40,000  francs  a  year  ;  the  lieu- 
tenant-general commanding  15,000;  the  intendant  12,000;  the 
colonel-major  7000.  The  veteran  soldiers  are  moreover  divi- 
ded into  sergeant-majors,  sergeants,  corporals,  and  privates ; 
and  yet  upon  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides — as  upon  everything  in 
Paris — is  there  inscribed  "  Liberty,  fraterfiifcy,  and  equality  /" 

From  both  ends  of  the  terrace  on  which  I  had  been  sitting, 
extending  from  it  to  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides,  I  had  observed, 
shaded  by  trees,  a  row  of  a  hundred  little  gardens,  each  30 
feet  long  by  10  feet  broad,  all  padlocked  and  full  of  paths,  bor- 
ders, and  flowers ;  at  the  far  end  of  each  was  a  small  arbour, 
bower,  or  smoking-house.     As  these  tiny  retreats  are  much 


HOTEL  DES  INVALIDES. 


ler 


sought  for  by  many  of  the  veterans,  the  goremor  registers  the 
names  of  all  applicants,  from  whom,  on  the  death  of  a  tenant, 
the  man  of  best  character  is  selected. 

"  Your  garden,"  I  said  to  a  fine,  tall,  erect,  but  very  old. 
soldier,  who,  with  the  corners  of  his  cocked-hat  over  his  thin 
shoulders,  stood  leaning  on  the  long  staiF  of  a  little  hoe  in  an 
attitude  of  repose  and  reflection  that  reminded  me  very  forci- 
bly of  Corporal  Trim,  "  your  garden  is  in  beautiful  order." 

"  Ah  I  Monsieur,"  with  a  slight  sigh  replied  the  old  veteran, 
who  in  tis  younger  days  had  probably  marched  over  the 
greater  portion  of  Eulope  without  once  thinking  about  a  gar- 
den, especially  of  one  ten  feet  broad,  "  qa  distrait  un  peu  !"• 
In  several  of  these  little  enclosures  I  observed,  as  I  walked 
slowly  by,  the  tenant,  in  full  uniform,  ruminating  in  his  bower. 
In  one  instance  the  wooden-legged  owner  had  taken  off  his 
cocked  hat,  and,  half  asleep;  was  sitting,  with  snow-white  hair, 
which  occasionally  moved  on  his  brown  temples,  as  the  air,  as 
if  fearful  to  awaken  him,  passed  gently  through  it.  In  an- 
other of  these  small  paradises  I  observed  seated  in  the  bower, 
opposite  to  a  very  old  Adam  wearing  bushy  mustachios,  a  bent 
Eve,  apparently  about  seventy-five  years  of  age.  She  was  the 
old  soldier's  "  auld  wife,"  availing  herself  of  the  permission 
which  used  to  be  granted  to  the  public  to  visit  the  establish- 
ment from  morning  till  sunset.  The  veteran  told  me  that,  by 
a  late  order  of  the  governor,  every  stranger — wives  included-— 
were  now  restricted  from  entering  till  twelve  and  were  turned 
out  at  four.  "  II  n'est  pas  bien  aim6  pour  ^a — allez  l"t  added 
the  old  man.     His  partner  said  nothing. 

Although  the  remains  upon  earth  of  the  fine  army  of  Na- 
poleon have  very  properly  declined  to  copy  "  young  France*' 
in  the  last  new  fashion  of  turning  her  face  into  a  hair-brush, 
yet  within  the  Invalides  there  are,  I  am  informed,  four 
beards,  paid  for  by  the  artists,  who  wish  to  insert  them  Vjx 
pictures  representing  the  various  battles  of  Algeria. 

I  had  now  seen  nearly  all  I  desired.  There,  however, 
still  remained  a  question,  which  for'  some  time  I  had  wished 
to  ask ;  and  as  one  of  the  old  soldiers,  whose  flowers  I  had 
been  admbringy  invited  me  to  enter  his  garden,  and,  eventually, 

*  Ah  1  Sir,  it  diverts  my  attention  a  little, 
f  He  is  iiot  mueh  liked  for  that—orrah! 


168 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FSENCn  STICKS. 


*'  de  me  reposer  on  peu"*  in  his  arbour^  after  talking  npon 
many  details  connected  with  the  establishment,  I  asked  him 
where  his  comrades,  on  their  march  from  this  world,  were 
buried?  He  replied,  pointing  with  his  stick  towards  the 
south,  "  Dans  le  oimetiere  de  Mont  Pamasse."t 

I  asked  him  what  was  the  average  mortality. 

^  Ma  foi,  Monsieur,"!  he  replied,  shrugging  up  his  shoul- 
ders, "in  dying  we  follow  no  rule;  each  goes  as  ne  is  called 
for ;  we  go  sometimes  in  crowds,  sometimes  one  by  one." 

"  How  many,"  said  I,  "  marched  last  year  ?" 

He  replied,  <<  Bather  more  than  300 1" 

The  old  man's  manner  was  so  dignified  and  gentlemanlike, 
I  had  enjoyed  conversing  with  him  so  much,  and  I  had  such 
reason  to  be  thanful  for  the  courtesy  he  had  shown  me,  that 
I  felt  it  would  be  ungrateful  to  leave  uppermost  in  his  mind 
the  subject  on  which  we  had  been  conversing :  I  therefore 
inquired  about  some  of  the  various  battles  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged;  and  when,  after  patiently  listening  to  the 
details  he  gave  me,  I  observed  that  his  heart  was  beating 
high  from,  and  his -memory  brimful  of,  noble  recollections,  I 
shook  hands  with  him,  and  then  left  him  seated  in  his  arbour. 

On  reaching  the  Place  de  Concorde  there  were  walking 
before  me  in  full  uniform  apparently  two  little  boys,  who 
had  preceded  me  nearly  all  the  way  from  the  Invalides.  One 
had  m  his  hand  a  circular  wreath  of  yellow  "  immortelles !" 

"What,  if  you  please, is  the  uniform  those  boys  are  wear- 
ing?" said  I  to  two  officers  who  happened  at  the  moment  to 
be  walking  alongside  of  me. 

"  Pardon,  Monsieur  i"  replied  he  to  whom  I  had  particu- 
larly addressed  myself,  but  who  had  fa.ied  to  hear  what  I  had 
said. 

My  question  was  again  on  the  very  brink  of  my  lips 
when,  one  of  the  "  boys^*  before  me  taking  o£f  his  military 
cap  to  cool  himself,  I  perceived,  to  my  astonishment,  he 
was  old  and  bald-headed  I  I  therefore  only  inquired  what 
was  his  uniform.  His  object  was,  I  knew,  to.  deposit  his 
wreath  at  the  foot  of  a  column  in  the  Place  de  Venddme, 
and  I  accordingly  walked  there.    While  I  was  proceeding 


*  To  rest  myself  a  little. 

f  In  the  oemeterv  of  Monut  PamaaauB, 

iFoith,Sirl 


\ 


MILITARY  MODELS, 


169 


along  the  Kae  de  Oastiglione  I  observed  a  mai>  as  lie  passed 
a  shop  take  off  his  hat  to  a  print  of  Napoleon.  On  reaching 
the  column  on  the  Place  de  Yanddme,  before  which  a  one- 
armed  sentinel  was  proudly  pacing,  I  found  a  little  girl  sitting 
in  the  rain  selling  round  circular  garlands  of  yellow  flowers. 
An  old  gentleman,  with  a  riband  at  his  breast,  purchased  one, 
•—walked  up  to  the  rails, — ^hung  it  on  one  of  them,-^-ana 
then,  taking  off  his  hat  to  it,  turned  on  his  heel  and  slowly 
walked  away.  The  two  little  soldiers  I  had  passed  merrily 
threw  theirs  over  the  rails  and  then  walked  ota.  At  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  t  met  a  boy  of  about  eight  years  old 
going  to  dei>osit  one — he  was  probably  the  son  or  grandsoii 
of  some  "  vieux  soldat  de  I'Empereur."* 

In  the  time  of  Louis-Philippe  this  practice  was  discour- 
aged ;  few  wreaths  were  deposited,  and  those  were  removed 
at  night.  This  year  there  were,  I  was  informed,  more  than 
usual,  and  yet,  out  of  the  population  of  Paris — among  whom 
were  60,000  troops,  besides  the  Ghir^e  Nationale — there  were 
only  deposited  163  yellow  wreaths  and  one  blue  one  !  So 
much  for  military  glory  based  upon  unjust  and  insatiable 
ambition. 


■••t 


MILITARY  MODELS. 

The  day  before  I  left  England  I  had  been  promised  that  a 
letter  would  be  written  in  my  favour  to  Colonel  Augoyat,  com- 
manding engineer  in  charge  of  the  military  models  in  the  Hd- 
tel  des  Invalides ;  and  accordinglyj  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  after  having  wound  my  waj  i^p  a  sort  of  interminable 
square  well-staircase  in  the  northwestern  angle  of  "  Les  Inva- 
lides," I  came  to  a  door  and  a  bell.  On  pulling  the  latter, 
there  appeared  before  me  a  servant,  who  told  me  the  Colonel 
was  not  at  home.  I  therefore  left  my  card ;  and  as  the  man 
had  explained  to  me  that  his  master  usually  went  out  at  eight 
in  the  morning,  I  said  I  would  call  to-morrow  a  few  minutes 
biefore  that  hoiir,  and  accordingly  on  the  following  morning,  at 

*  Old  soldier  of  the  Emperor. 


1^0  A  FAGGOT  OF  FMENOE  STICKS, 

five  minutes  before  the  tirine  I  had  named,  I  walked  dp  th^ 
▼ery  same  stairs,  and,  stretching  out  the  same  arm,  pulled  the 
very  same  bell  again. 

Colonel  Augoyat  receivei  me  with  the  kindest  and  most 
polite  attention ;  and  as  of  bis  own  accord  he  at  once  proposed 
to  show  me  the  models— which  for  many  months  mid  been 
dosed  to  the  public— I  considered  I  was  eyidentlv  reaping  the 
benefit  of  the  introduction  that  had  been  promised  to  me ;  and 
therefore,  without  re£arring  to  it,  I  accompanied  him  to  the 
apartments  over  which  he  presides. 

The  models  were  almost  all  covered  over  with  paper  pasted 
together,  which,  he  informed  me,  kept  out  the  dust  better  than 
linen  sheets.  With  considerable  trouble  these  coverings  were 
removed.  To  describe  the  magnificent  works  which,  one  after 
another,  and  with  great  difficulty.  Colonel  Ausoyat  was  so  good 
^s  to  show  me,  would  be  uttefW  impracticable.  I  will  there- 
fore  briefly  enumerate  those  which  nappened  to  interest  me 
jthe  most. 

1.  A  model  of  Mont  Cenis,  3850  yards  high ;  showing  the 
pew  and  old  roads,  and  giving  a  view  of  the  difficulties  which 
opposed  their  formation. 

2.  The  city  of  Bayonne,  showing  the  fortified'  position 
the  French  army  vnder  Soult  had  occupied  during  three 
months. 

3.  Perpignan,  in  the  Pyrenees,  showing  the  surrounding 
mountains,  which  rise  so  abruptly  that,  from  their  summit,  it 
appears  as  if  stones  might  be  chucked  into  the  town  beneath. 

4.  A  magnificent  model  of  Grenoble. 

5.  A  most  interesting  model  of  Brest ;  showing  its  pori| 
harbour,  ships  lying  in  the  sea,  roads,  and  ten  leagues  of  sur- 
rounding country. 

6.  Cherbourg ;  showing  the  artificial  breakwater, — a  nar- 
row spit  a  league  long,  composed  of  immense  stones, — ^tho 
various  harbours,  and  stupendous  works  by  which  they  are 
defended. 

7.  Toulon,  with  its  harbour  and  surrounding  country. 

8.  The  town  of  Strasbourg,  and  a  portion  of  the  Bmno; 

9.  The  town  of  Meta. 

JO.  One  of  the  new  forts  round  Paris. 
Although  either  by  writiug  or  by  drawing  it  is  impos^bI« 
to  give  a  description  as  vivid  as  the  reality,  yet — strange  as  it 


tb4 


laziTAitr  MODELS.  nti 

may  sound — ^the  magnificent  military  models  of  flie  Invaliclds 
evidently  impart  an  idea  of  the  surraoe  of  the  world  in  gen- 
eral, and  of  the  important  places  which  they  represent  in  pal^ 
tioular,  infinit-ely  more  instmctiye  than  it  is  possible  for  any 
one  even  visiting  the  various  localities  to  obtain. 

For  instance,  in  reconnoitring  a  regnlar  fortification  from 
the  exterior,  little  is  to  be  seen  bnt  a  series  of  green  slepMS, 
running  one  into  another,  and  terminatinff  in  the  guns  of  tho 
citadel ;  and  even  in  inspecting  it  from  the  ifUerioTy  all  that 
an  experienced  officer  can  do  is,  visiting  one  front  at  a  time, 
to  look  towards  works  the  rev^tements  of  which  have  beeti 
purposely  constructed  to  be  concealed  from  the  Une  of  fire, 
and  consequently  from  the  line  of  sight.  He  must  thus  visit 
them  in  detail,  and,  having  gone  through  this  tedious  process 
with  respect  to  every  front,  he  has  then,  by  dint  of  memory 
and  power  of  mind,  to  connect  all  the  tesselated  data  he  hM 
obtained  into  one  mosaio  picture. 

Again,  in  surveying  a  river  or  a  series  of  harbomrs,  a  naval 
officer  may,  in  his  boat,  visit,  seriatwn^  the  various  sinuositieii 
of  each,  which  he  has  then  mentally  to  add  up,  to  form  the 
general  idea  that  is  required. 

In  like  manner,  an  intelligent  man,  by  riding  aboizt  a 
>)ountry,  may  view  it  from  various  points,  from  no  one  (^ 
which  can  he  see  either  the  opposite  sides  of  the  various  hills 
that  present  themselves,  or  the  features  of  the  ground  lying 
immediately  behind  them ;  all,  therefore,  that  he  can  do  is,  to 
connect,  as  skilfully  and  as  fttithfully  as  his  memory  will  allow, 
the  details  he  has  seen  into  one  idei^  or,  as  it  is  called,  general 
knowledge  of  the  country. 

,  Even  from  a  balloon,  in  order  to  inspect  thirty  or  forty 
sauare  miles  of  country,  it  is  necessary  to  rise  to  a  height 
which,  practically  peaking,  mystifies  almost  to  obliteration  the 
picture  beneath. 

In  the  models,  however,  of  the  Invalides,  not  only  are<  the 
features  of  the  country,  with  its  various  M;rioult«ral  produce, 
accurately  represented,  both  as  to  form  and  colour }  not  only  is 
every  portion  of  a  fortification  accurately  represented,  but  th<^ 
whole,  including  rivers,  harbours,  and  roads,  are,  by  the  reduc- 
tion of  scale,  concentrated  within  so  small  a  space,  that  the 
super-inspecting  eyes  of  the  most  inexperienced  visitor  can  at 
ende  obtain  a  Imowledge  of  the  country,  and  ey6n  Sk  peroeptk)]^ 


tT2 


A  F40Q0T  OF  FRBNOH  STICKS. 


of  the  general  strenffth  and  pnrposes  of  the  tarious  military 
works  repreeented,  which  the  aotual  localities  would  fail  to 
Afford  him. 

From  these  valuable  representations  we  proceeded  to  the 
workshops  in  which  they  had  been  constructed,  and  in  which  I 
found  a  most  interesting  model,  in  embryo,  of  the  siege  and  city 
of  Rome,  which,  by  means  of  tools  of  various  sorts,  had  been 
neatly  constructed  out  of  large  blocks  of  wood.  After  "  le  mo- 
delage"*  is  finished,  it  is  supplied  with  what  are  termed  "  ses 
dteorations,"t  composed  of  powdered  silk,  of  various  hues,  for 
agricultural  crops ;  little  trees  of  various  descriptions ;  tiny 
houses  of  different  sorts ;  slabs  of  looking-glass  for  water ;  fila- 
ments of  the  finest  white  silk  for  smoke  from  artillery,  &o.  &c.  &o. 

Not  satisfied  with  having  obligingly  afforded  me,  at  so  early 
and  so  unusual  an  hour,  the  gratification  of  witnessing  the 
models  of  the  principal  fortresses  and  naval  arsenals  of  France, 
Colonel  Augoyat  requested  me  to  accompany  him  into  his 
office,  where  he  wrote,  and  presented  me  wim,  an  order  to  visit 
<'  le  Mus^e  d'Artillerie  ;"|  and  as  I  felt  that  these  repeated 
attentions  were  conferred  on  my  friend  in  England  rather  than 
on  myself,  in  taking  leave  of  him  I  ventured  to  thank  him  in 
his  name,  as  well  as  my  own.  To  my  utter  astonishment. 
Colonel  Augoyat  informed  me  that  he  had  not  received  any 
letter  from  our  mutual  friend  respecting  me,  but,  ha  added, 
with  a  slight  bow,  which  I  shall  never  forget,  and  which  it  is 
my  pleasing  duty  to  record,  that  he  had  had  pleasure  in  com- 
plying with  the  wishes  of  an  Englishman  and  a  stranger  I 

In  crossing  the  suspension-bridge,  <^  le  Pont  des  Invalides,*' 
I  observed  that,  instead  of  a  sentinel,  there  was  written  on  each 
of  the  piers, 

**  Lob  Fonts  sont  pluo^  sous  la  sauye-garde  de  la  RSpulique. — Froolama- 
tion  du  GU)uveniement  du  27  F^vrier,  1848."§ 

**  What  a  blessing  it  would  be,"  thought  I  to  myself,  "  if  the 
Nations  of  Europe,  instead  of  exhausting  their  finances  by 
maintaining  in  time  of  peace  such  enormous  military  forces, 
would — ^from  the  same  noble  sentiment — join  with  England  in 

*  The  modelling.  f  Its  decoration.  ^  « 

1  The  Museum  of  Artillery. 

§  The  bridges  are  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  Bepublio.— >By 
order  of  Government  of  the  21  th  February,  1 848. 


MUSES  DE  VABTILLEBIE. 


178 


committing  the  peaoe  of  the  World  to  the  *  sauve-garde' — to 
the  good  sense  and  good  feelings— of  the  whole  family  of 
nxankind  1" 


■•  •  »■ 


MUSfiE  DB  L'AETILLERIB. 

On  turning  to  the  right,  I  saw  pass  close  before  me  in  the 
street  along  which  I  had  to  proceed,  a  party  of  six  people,  two 
in  uniform  and  one  without  his  hat,  carrying  very  fast  a  black 
tressel,  on  which,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  and  with  a  white  oir- 
oular  wreath  of  immortelles  on  it,  there  lay  a  small  coffin. 

As  I  did  not  feel  disposed  to  hurry  along  with  it — ^and  in- 
deed  as  I  had  occasion  to  go  into  a  shop  where  I  remained 
/lome  little  time — I  thought  no  n^ore  of  the  little  coffin,  until| 
having  arrived  at  the  Mus^e  de  I'Artillerie  five  minutes  before 
12,  the  hour  at  which  it  was  to  be  open  to  the  public,  on  enter- 
ing the  large  church  of  St.  Thomas  d'Aquin,  within  fifty  yards 
of  me,  there  it  was,  resting  on  two  tressels.  Nobody  appeared 
to  take  the  slightest  notice  of  it ;  the  six  followers  in  waiting 
were  gaping  lubout  them  in  any  direction  but  towards  it ;  ana 
as  I  also  looked  about  me,  I  observed  written  on  the  wall  of 
the  church  the  following  notice  :~^ 

"Atb. 

'  *' YouB  dies  instamment  pri^s,  par  respect  pour  lo  lieu  saint,  de  ne  pas 
cracher  par  terre."  * 

As  soon  as  the  clock  began  to  strike,  the  little  crowd  of 
visiters  who  for  some  minutes  had  been  assembled  around  the 
gate  of  the  Museum  evinced  a  slight  nervous  movement,  of 
short  duration,  for,  simultaneous  with  the  last  stroke  of  the 
twelve,  the  doors  were  slowly  thrown  open,  and,  as  if  rejoicing 
at  our  freedonif.we  all  for  a  moment  hurried  into  a  passage,  m 
which  the  first  object  that  arrested  my  attention  was  an  im- 
mense chain,  643  feet  (about  one-eighth  of  a  mile)  long,  and 

*  NonoB. 
•     You  are  earnestly  requested,  in  respect  for  thi£  holy  place,  no^  to  spit 
on  the  ground. 


mm 


174 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FMENvn  STICKS. 


weighing  7896  pounds,  luapended  alons  both  walls.  It.  was 
oalled,  in  a  oatalogue  of  367  pages,  which  for  tenpence  I  bad 
just  purchased  at  the  door,  "•  La  Chalne  du  Danube,"  *  from 
haying  been  used  by  the  Turks  for  a  pontoon  bridge  on  that 
river,  and  was  afterwards  taken  at  Vienna  by  the  French  army. 
Beneath  it,  standing  erect  and  lying  prostrate,  were  groat  guns 
of  all  characters  and  countries.  Among  them,  looking  like 
logs  of  timber,  were  two  short,  stumpy,  wrought-iron  cannon, 
alraut  four  feet  long,  which,  in  the  year  1422,  had  been  aban- 
doned by  the  English  befoife  the  town  of  Meaux. 

f'rom  this  gauery  I  entered  a  small  room,  containing  into- 
resting  specimens  of  various  pieces  of  ordnance,  especiafly  two 
magnificent  large  guns,  covered  with  Arabic  inscriptions,  and 
standing  on  their  breeches  as  erect  as  sentinels  on  each  side 
of  the  entrance-door  into  the  great  ''Salle  des  Meddles," f 
around  the  walls  of  which,  on  a  broad  table,  which  throughout 
the  whole  length  of  the  room  occupies  the  centre,  and  on  nar- 
tow  tables  affixed  to  all  four  walls,  I  beheld  deposited,  with* 
very  great  taste,  almost  every  description  of  weapon  and  im- 
plement of  war. 

Along  the  walls  were  arranged  in  family  groups,  all  dated 
1843  and  wearing  percussion-caps,  specimen  pistols,  fusees, 
carbines,  muskets,  and  bayonets,  of  Sweden,  Belgium,  Saxony, 
Sardinia,  Bussia,  Prussia,  Norway,  Holland,  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Denmark,  Bavaria,  Austria,  England,  Wurtemburg,  and  the 
United  States  of  America.  Of  these  weapons,  those  of  Bus- 
sia, the  stocks  of  which  were  oX.  beautiful  black  iqralnut,  appear- 
ed to  me  the  best  devised  and  appointed.  Those  of  the  United 
States,  although  inferior  to  Bussia,  were  very  creditable^ 
Those  of  England  were  stout  and  substantial ;  but  in  compa- 
insMi  to  the  oorrespondine  arms  of  one  or  two  other  countries, 
they  appeared  rudely  made. 

In  different  parts  of  the  room  I  observed  no  less  than  fif- 
teen or  twenty  French  soldiers,  in  the  uniform  of  various  regi- 
JneDts  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  intently  scrutinizing  these  arms ; 
and  in  the  course  of  my  life  I  never  felt  more  desirous  to  give 
away  tenpenny  pieces,  than  I  did  to  slip  into  the  hands  of 
earfi  of  wiose  soldiers  who  was  referring  to  his  catalogue  the 
firano  he  bid  paid  for  it.    At  all  events,  the  simple  fact  of  his 


*  iS .      «in  of  the  Danube. 


f  Hodel-room. 


r 


.   MUSEE  DS  VABTILLEItlE. 


\n 


hiaving  parohased  it  demonitratef  indisputably  the  militftry 
vftluo  and  importance  of  a  museum  of  this  description. 

On  the  various  tables,  especially  on  those  running  down 
the  middle  of  the  room,  were  models  of  almost  every  known 
description  of  gun,  mortar,  howitcor,  limber,  carriages,  ammu* 
nition-waggons,  forage-carts  ;  also  models  of  guns  mounted  en 
barbette,  of  ship-guns  firing  through  port-hol^s,  &o.  On  the 
ground  were  displayed  shot  and  shells,  both  of  stone  and  iron, 
of  various  weights  and  oallibres. 

After  ascending  a  handsome  well-lighted  stone  staircase  I 
walked  towards  what  is  called  ^  la  Salle  des  Armures,"  *  on  en- 
tering lAatk  there  appeared  before  me,  down  the  whole  length 
of  the  room,  mountea  on  ^een  horses,  a  series  of  knights  in 
armour,  of  various  descriptions,  supported  on  the  right  and  left  - 
by  knights  in  coats  of  mail  on  foot.  At  the  end  of  the  room, 
on  a  table,  there  stood  a  little  brass  statue  of  the  "  Emperor 
Napoleon  on  horseback." 

From  the  roof  hung  various  flags.  On  the  walls,  around 
and  beneath  a  series  of  pcnrtraits  of  the  master-generals  of  artilr 
lery  of  France,  from  1373  to  the  present  day,  were  arranged, 
sjbields,  helmets,  stirrups,  spurs,  and  lances,  of  ancient  form. 
Lastly,  the  floor  was  of  old  oak,  waxed  and  polished  till  it  was 
as  slippery  as  glass.  The  armour  of  the  first  knight  on  horse- 
iMok  Ja  specimen  of  that  worn  in  the  reigns  of  Charles  TI. 
and  Charles  VII.  of  France,  and  in  England  of  Henry  YL 
and  Edward  IV.)  was  not  only  exceedingly  heavy,  but  his 

Soor  horse  stood,  moreover,  overwhelmed  within  a  suit  of  pon- 
erous  mail,  that,  like  a  lady's  petticoat,  reached  almost  to  the. 
ground ;  and  I  was  wondering  how,  under  such  afflicting  cir- 
cumstances, the  green  horse  could  ever  have  managed  to  get 
into  a  trot,  when  I  observed  that,  as  if  to  prevent  him  from 
doing  so,  there  was  in  his  mouth  a  curb-bit,  fourteen  inches 
Ipng  1  So  much  for  the  ^go-a-head"  notions  of  ^'auld  lang 
syne." 

From  this  knightj  who,  as  I  have  stated,  stands  at  the 
entrance  of  the  S^e  des  Armures,  there  proceeds  a  gallery 
extending  round  four  sides  of  a  square,  forming  four  salles. 

M  the  first  there  appeared,  of  various  dates,  halberts,  ar- 
inour,  coats  of  mail,  heunets,  cuirasses,  Several  of  the  latter 

.      *  Sail  of  Armour. 


176 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


nearly  pierced  with  two,  three,  and  fonr  balls,  mnsket  and 
grape  shot.  Also  arrows,  tomahawks,  eros^-bowS)  arque- 
buses,  matchlocks,  muskets,  carbines,  and  pistole,  of  Tarious 
ages. 

In  the  seamd  I  found,  very  beautifully  arranged,  wall- 
pieces  14  feet  long ;  arquebuses,  matchlocks,  models  of  gnns ; 
also  an  assortment  ot  magnificent  arms,  of  great  value,  in  a 
glass  case,  &c.,  &o.,  &o. 

In  the  middle  of  this  infinite  series  of  instruments  and 
weapons  of  every  possible  description,  invented  by  the  inge- 
nuity of  man  fo;'  the  mutilation  and  destruction  of  his  race,  I 
was  rather  surprised  to  see  calmly  sitting  on  the  window-sill, 
and  nearly  surrounded  by  soldiers  who  were  carefully  in- 
specting the  various  weapons  around  them,  a  fine,  mild,  beard- 
less young  priest,  whose  black  gown,  white  bands,  and  eccen- 
tric-shaped cocked  hat,  appeared  strangely  contrasted  with  the 
scene  around  him. 

In  the  third  gallery  were  mnskets  and  wall-pieces  which 
appeared  almost  too  heavy  to  wield ;  yatagans,  poignards, 
and  daggers  of  all  sorts ;  battle-axes,  models  of  pontoons  of 
every  known  description;  double-barrelled  muskets,  with  a 
bayonet  6  inches  long,  like  a  strong  knife. 

In  the  fourth  I  found  swords,  plain  as  well  as  serrated,  as 
long  and  as  straight  as  spits,  as  if  the  object  of  the  inventor 
was  not  only  at  a  time  to  run  seven  or  eight  men  through  the 
body,  but  afterwards,  and  at  one  operation,  to  saw  off  all  their 
heads.  There  were  weapons  like  scythes,  for  mowing  people 
down ;  immense  battle-axes  for  splitting  their  skulls.  There 
were  also  tastefully  arranged  in  a  glass  case  modem  and  an- 
cient swords,  brightly  ornamented,  and  of  great  value — on  the 
blue  steel  blade  of  one  of  them  I  read,  in  letters  of  gold, 
"  Vive  le  Koi !" — colour-lances  crossed ;  lastly,  a  serrated 
sword,  two  feet  long,  that  could  have  sawn  down  an  oak- 
tree. 

In  this  room  I  observed  an  unusual  number  of  soldiers 
busily  pointing  out  to  each  other  the  various  weapons  which 
happened  to  attract  their  attention  ;  and  as  their  heads  leant 
towards  each  object  in  succession,  the  bright  brass  helmets 
of  the  hussars,  the  oilskin  covered  shakos  of  the  infantry,  the 
bright  plates  in  the  caps  of  the  artillery,  and  the  red,  green, 
and  yellow  epaulettes  of  each,  formed  altogether  a  mizturo 


POST-OFFICE. 


177 


that  gave  living  interest  to  the  collection,  which  contains  no 
less  thaii  3864  specimens  of  ancient  and  modem  implements 
of  war. 

During  the  campaigns  of  Napoleon  the  Mnsenm  was 
greatly  augmented  by  spoils  from  almost  every  nation  in 
Europe;  but  in  1814— -when  the  hour  of  retribution  arrive^ 
— the  allied  armies  took  possession  of  almost  all  that,  had  be* 
longed  to  their  respective  countries.  The  Prussians  alone 
packed  up  and  carried  off  480  chests  full  of  arms. 

To  the  Museum  rs  attached — solely  for  the  use  of  the 
officers  of  the  garrison  of  Paris,  and  consequently  not  open  to 
the  public — a  valuable  library  of  6000  volumes,  besides 
maps,  plans,  and  naval  charts. 


-•■«-•- 


POSTOFFICE. 


The  French  Post-office  undertakes  to  deliver  not  only  to 
every  city,  town,  village,  or  hamlet  in  France,  but  to  every 
house,  cottage,  and  mill,  within  the  territory  of  the  republic, 
every  letter  that  is  addressed  to  it. 

There  are  in  France  no  less  than  500,000  persons 


in- 


cluding the  heads  of  offices,  pr6fetB,  mayors  of  all  sizes, 
&c.,  &c.,  who  can  frank  letters  on  the  subject  of  their  res- 
pective departments ;  but  the  President  of  the  Republic  and 
the  Director-General  of  the  iPost-office,  M.  Edouard  Thayer, 
are  the  only  two  individuals  who  have  unlimited  power  to 
frank  letters  to  any  one.  They  do  so  by  a  few  words 
stamped  in  red,  of  which  the  following  is  a  fac-simile. 


V7^l 


The  council  of  administration,  of  which  M.  Thayer  is 
president,  is  composed  of  M.  Piron,  also  "  administrateur"  of 
the  first  and  principal  division  of  the  department,  and  M. 
Langevin 

8» 


m 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRMOR  STICKS. 


r  Oil  my  calling  at  the  Fost-offioe  to  ask  permiBsion  to  sec 
its  details,  M.  Piron,  who  had  happened  to  read  a  publieatibn 
by  me  descriptive  of  the  London  J?ost-offioe,  was  eood  enough 
not  only  to  insist  on  taking  me  over  the  whole,  but  he  most 
obligingly  introduced  me  to  the  president,  M.  Thayer,  who  also 
did  me  the  honour  to  accompany  me  over  a  considerable  part 
of  the  important  establishment  over  which  he  presides. 

The  business  of  the  French  Post-office  department  is  sub- 
divided into,  five  branches. 

To  M.  Piron,  as  administrator,  is  solely  committed  the 
supervision,  under  various  officers,  of  the  following  duties  '.-- 

1.  The  correspondence — the  oxganization — and  determina- 
tion of  the  routes  of  the  couriers,  and  of  the  transportation  of 
the  mails  by  railways,  mail-carts,  or  by  private  contract ;  the 
preparation  and  d^pdt  of  maps  and  plans ;  the  arrangement  of 
correspondence  with  the  diSerent  offices ;  inquiries  after  lost 
packages  of  letters ;  the  drawing  up  of  conventions  and  trea- 
ties with  foreign  offices,  and  correspondence  relative  to  their  ex- 
ecution. 

2.  The  general  superintendence  and  inspection  of  the  let- 
ter postal  service ;  the  employment  of  the  officers  of  every 
grade ;  the  installation  of  the  superintendents  and  letter-sor- 
ters ;  the  formation  of  the  reports  to  be  furnished  to  the  In- 
spectors of  Finance  and  of  the  Post-office ;  investigation  and 
correspondence  relative  to  inquiries  after  letters  and  news- 
papers. 

3.  Cixrrespondence  relative  to  exemptions  and  infractions ; 
expenses  of  the  staff  in  all  the  departments ;  repression  of 
firaud ;  disputed  matters. 

4.  The  verification  and  auditing  of  articles  and  accounts. 

5.  Examination  of  dead  letters  and  papers ;  also  of  those 
refused  or  unclaimed. 

To  M.  Langevin  is  committed — 

1.  The  creation  and  suppression  of  relays ;  the  regulation 
and  payment  of  the  courier  service— also  of  postmasters; 
drawing  up  the  books  of  routes  for  the  couriers ;  arrangement 
of  post-horses  at  Paris. 

2.  Superintendence  of  the  contracts  for  the  conveyance  of 
(clespatches ;  agreements  for  the  construction  and  maintenance 
of  the  mail-carts,  of  the  travelling  post-offices  and  lettor-car- 
rii^es,  and  of  aU  the  materiel  necessary  for  the  conveyance  of 


POST-OITICF. 


ITd 


the  mails ;  superintendence  of  the  couriers,  porters,  and  mes- 
eengers  of  the  Postofl&oe.  sw  li. 

3.  Steam-boat  service. 

4.  Financial  department. — Preparation  of  the  budget  and 
management  of  the  expresses;  the  reimbursement  of-  sums 
improperly  received ;  payment  of  the  salaries  of  the  staff  of 
Paris,  and  also  in  the  departments.  ' 

5.  The  maintenance  of  steam-boats,  &c. ;  preparation  of 
treaties  to  be  made  with  contractors ;  fabrication  and  delivery 
of  postage  stamps. 

6.  The  superintendence  of  the  receipts  and  expenditure 
at  Paris  and  in  the  departments,  &c.,  &c. 

The  remainder  of  the  business  of  the  office  is  committed 
to  M.  Chocquet,  M.  de  Leindre,  and  M.  Babeau,  each  of  whom- 
superintend  details  of  considerable  importance. 

Besides  the  bureaux  in  the  General  Post-office,  there  ar* 
also  in  Paris  twelve  principal  and  fifteen  supplemental  offices,' 
where  the  public  can  prepay  or  register  letters  for  the  depart- 
ments or  for  foreign  countries,  or  forward  or  receive  by  post,- 
money.  The  principal  offices,  distinguished  by  the  first  twelve 
letters  of  the  alphabet,  are  open  to  the  public  from  eight  in 
the  morning  till  eight  at  night,  excepting  on  Sundays  and.fftter 
days,  when  they  are  closed  at  five  o'clock. 

Under  the  system  of  centralization  which  characteri^ies 
every  public  office  in  France,  an  Englishman  is  constantly  sur-. 
prised  to  see  how  very  simply  and  scientifically  operations,, 
clumsily  executed  in  England,  are  pe^ff -'med  in  Paris.  For, 
instance,  after  M.  Piron  had  risen  from*v.B  multifarious  papers 
to  accompany  me,  I  observed  him  gJve  o  >  ,  cenf.le  tap  with  the ; 
wooden  holder  of  his  pen  against  ilie  I  liilru  v,^ll  in  front  of 
his  desk.  His  secretary  immediatfli^  appea:i<  He  then 
touched  a  sort  of  spring  which  caui  td  a  bell  *.utdide  the  op- 
posite wall  of  the  room  to  strike,  i^  on  whicu  In  came  his 
messenger.  Now,  in  England,  to  prod  I'j  these  two  articles, 
tt  least  twenty  times  as  much  noise  would  have  heaa  manu- 
factured ;  indeed,  in  London,  if  one  great  man  drives  to  the 
open  door  of  another  great  man,  tLe  great  man's  porter  imme- 
diately shuts  it  in  the  face  of  the  great  visitor's  great  footman, 
that  he,  the  great  visitor's  great  footman,  may  Kj  ve  an  oppor- 
tunity of  disturbing  every  man  of  genius  in  the  nei,<?hbourhood, 
by  belabouring  an  ugly-faced  knocker  within  half  a  dozen 


■i 


m 
m 


I 


m 

■  ';(  s 


mm 


1^ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


iacbeB  not  only  of  his  own  nose  but  of  the  nose  of  the  ^6al 
siac's  porter  who  within  is  holdiag  the  handle  of  the  door  be^ 
labovred,  on  purpeae  to  open  it  with  a  floarish  as  soon  as  the 
rode,  WrbarooB,  unsoientific  operation  has  been  folly  com- 
pleted. 

The  bosinesB  of  the  Post-oAoe  m  Paris,  like  that  of  Lon* 
den.  is  divided  into  two  great  operatitms,  namely,  the  receipt 
and  the  delivery  of  letters. 

As  alil  the  arterial  postal  lines,  froaa  Paris  to  the  depart-' 
ments  of  France,  luid  beyond  them  to  the  rest  of  the  world, 
radiate  for  greater  or  less  distances  from  the  metropolis  on^ 
railways,  from  the  termini  of  which  the  letters  are  despatched 
by  steamers,  diligences,  raalle-postes,  canals,  &c.,  there  are 
now  no  mail  coaches  in  Paris.  The  letters  to  and  from  the 
main  office  to  the  metropolitan  termini  of  the  various  rail- 
ways are  conveyed  in  closed  fonrgons,  which  will  be  describ- 
ed; those  to  and  from  the  main  office,  from  and  to  the 
several  post-offices  in  Pans,  in  large  roomy  caleches.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  different  descriptions  of  carriages  at  the  great 
post-office,  all  are  brought  into  a  large,  light,  well-ventilated 
room,  containing  long  tables,  upon  which  they  are  tossed 
down. 

On  one  side  of  these  tables  I  observed  seated  a  ro,/  of 
postmen,  in  blue  uniform  coats — on  one  there  was  a  medal — 
with  red  collars,  whose  sole  duty  (which  does  not  require  any 
very  great  amount  of  intellect)  is  to  arrange  the  letters  with 
all  their  faces  looking  the  same  way  ;  and  when  this  has  been 
effected,  they  are  handed  to  a  rosy  of  clerks  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  table,  who  divide  them  into  two  great  classes, 
namely,  letters  for  Paris,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  world. 
They  are  then  stamped  by  seventy -five  "  gardens  de  bureaux,'** 
dressed  in  blouses  with  red  collars.  Those  for  Parisians  re- 
main on  the  ground-flour,  those  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  de- 
partments and  for  the  rest  of  the  human  race,  by  means  of  a 
pulley  and  rope,  are  made  to  ascend  into  a  region  above. 

I  had  often  remarked  that  on  French  letters,  and  indeed, 
generally  speaking,  on  those  from  the  Continent,  the  post- 
mark is  much  more  clearly  defined  than  on  our  English 
letters.     On  searching  for  the  reason  of  this  difference,  I 


•  Office  clerks. 


POST-OFFICE. 


181 


perceived  it  to  be  that  the  lines  and  letters  of  th')  French 
stamp,  in  which  there  is  a  contriyatioe  for  altering  the  date, 
project ;  whereas,  in  England,  they  are  often  excavated  from 
a  flat  surface. 

The  final  distribution  of  the  letters  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  to  Paris  is  pei-formed  at  ten  tables,  by  fourteen  men  at 
each,  all  in  uniform,  and  superintended  by  a  "  chef  facteur,"* 
responsible  for  all.  In  this  duty  I  beheld,  quietly  working 
in  one  room,  150  postmen,  who  were  themselves  to  deliver 
the  letters  they  were  sorting.  At  fivo  minutes  before  the 
time  for  actually  starting  I  heard  a  bell  ring,  on  which  the 
whole  150  postmen  in  uniform  before  mo  rose,  an.d  all  at  once 
began  each  to  place  his  batch  of  letters  into  a  neat  patent- 
leather  despatch  box,  suspended  from  his  neck  by  a  black 
belt,  and  containing  three  compartments ;  one  for  letters,  one 
for  newspapers,  axd  one  for  unoney.  Beneath  the  lid  is  a 
portfolio  for  registered  letters ;  and  to  the  outside  is  affixed 
an  inkstand,  with  a  hole  for  a  pen.  Every  postman,  besides 
being  in  uniform,  has  on  his  breast  a  gilt  badge,  on  which  is 
his  number. 

As  soon  as  these  arrangements  were  concluded,  the  150 
men,  in  a  body,  loft  the  room.  We  accompanied  them  to  the 
interior  of  a  hollow  square,  formed  by  the  vSilous  oflices  of 
the  department,  where  we  found  assembled  nine  omnibuses, 
into  each  of  which  there  quickly  stepped  fifteen  men  (a  table- 
gang)  ;  every  omnibus,  therefore,  was  a  "  table."  As  each 
man,  wearing  a  glazed  hat,  took  his  place,  he  pulled  his  black 
shining  letter-box,  which  in  walking;  had  hung  behind  him, 
round  in  front,  upon  his  Lnoes,  wbere  it  lay  as  quietly  as  a 
baby  ?  i  the  lap  of  a  monthly  irarse.  When  the  fourteen  men, 
and  iheir  fourteen  black  boxes,  were  thus  stowed  almost  as 
close  as  herrings  in  a  barrel,  the  "  chef  facteur,"  who  has  the 
command  of  all,  and  who  is  solely  responsible  to  the  Depart- 
ment for  the  postage  of  the  whole,  gave  the  signal  for  de- 
parture ;  and  thus,  sometimes  one  after  another,  and  some- 
times  by  two  or  three  at  a  time,  away  drove  the  nine  omni- 
buses to  their  respective  arrondissements,  the  postmen  of  thai; 
immediately  around  the  principal  olSce  starting  to  their  des- 
.  tin&tions  on  foot. 


*  Superintendent. 


mm  n— MiM> 


i^ZmSm 


\ , 


182 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


''  Aii^  sooii  ail  all  these  'buses  Kad  merrily  driven  out  of  *Tie"^ 
yard,  I  returned  with  M.  Piron  to  the  interior  of  the  build- 
ing, to  witness  the  assortment  ojF  the  letters  for  the  depart- 
ments and  for  the  rest  of  the  world.  For  this  operation  is 
devoted  the  whole  of  the  second  floor,  composed  of  spacious 
halls,  admirably  ventilated,  and  during  the  day  lighted  by 
large  windows  on  each  side,  and  befbre  sunrise  and  after  sun- 
set by  gas  lamps,  surrounded  by  green  shades.  ' 
'  The  country  letters  are  divided  into  sixteen  stations. 
Those  which,  by  the  pulley  and  rope,  had  ascended  en  masse 
to  this  floor,  are  poured  out  in  about  equal  quantities  upon  a 
series  of  desks,  at  each  of  which  presides  an  intelligent- 
XooYrng  clerk  with  mustachios,  and  occasionally  with  a  beard, 
"Vhu  fjas  before  him,  at  the  extremity  of  his  t.;ole.  sixteen 
piffeoM-holes,  into  wMoh  he  rapidly  throws  every  ietter  that  be- 
lopf^  to  the  district  written .  above  it.  While  he  is  proceed- 
lag,  looking  like  a  gamester  dealing  out  cards,  sixteen  men, 
4Ui  a  carrying  a  basket,  proceed  regularly  from  one  sorting- 
tal.e  to  another;  and  as  the  pigeon-holes  of  each  are  all 
rmmbtjred  alike,  as  they  each  cortaia  letters  for  the  same 
place,  every  basket-m*  n,  leaning  over  one  sorting  desk  after 
another,  abstrav^ts  from  the  same  pigeon-hole  of  each  the  let- 
ters for  the  same  district,  which,  as  fast  as  he  collects,  he  takes 
to  other  tables,  where,  by  other  clerks  in  beards  of  every  pos- 
sible fancy,  they  are  finally  arranged,  and  then,  instead  of 
being  crammed  into  white  leather  sheepskin-bags,  which,  in 
consequence  of  the  different  shaped  parcels  conveyed  by  our 
post-office,  are  deemed  necessary  in  England,  they  are  packed 
in  square  parcelp,  about  2  feet  long  by  16  inches  broad  and 
deep,  wrapped  up  or  swaddlod  in  brown  paper,  secured  by  very 
strong  strinfy,  of  which  an  extraordinary  quantifjr  appeared  to 
me  to  be  T,aelessly  expended.  Indeed  it  was  wound  round 
twenty  or  thirty  times  without  apparent  method,  reason,  or 
neiJfesBitx .  The  operation  of  ?>f;aling  these  parcels  is,  how- 
ever, very  cleverly  performed.  BenealKa  large  pot  full  of 
bard  sealing-wax  there  is  on  each  table  ol  the  department  an 
alcohol  lamp, — ^the  flame  of  which,  by  a  micrometer  screw, 
can  be  increased,  diminished,  or  extinguished, — of  sufficient 
power  to  liquify  the  mass  in  about  twenty  minutes.  For  the 
important  process  of  sealing,  the  wax  is,  therefore,  always 
ready,  in  a  fluid  state.    ¥or  the  purpose  of  applying  it,  there. 


POST^QFFICK 


183 


&  affixed,  at  right  angles,  to  the  handle  of  theseala  Btibk,  which 
the  sealer  dips  into  the  liquid  wax,  and,  as  soon  as  he  ha» 
transferred  a  snfficient  qnantity  of  it  to  the  paper  and  string, 
by  a  simple  twist  of  his  wrist  he  applies  to  it  the  seal.  Be- 
fore the  adoption  of  this  ingenious  process,  which  is  only  a 
year  old.  not  only  for  every  packet,  but  for  eyery  seal  on  each 
packet,  it  was  deemed  necessary,  as  is  still  the  case  in  *tha 
English  post-office,  to  raise  a  stick  of  hard  wax  to  the  flame 
of  a  candle,  ignite  it,  wait  a  little,  and  then  apply  it.  The 
smoke  caused  by  the  endless  repetition  of  this  rude  operation, 
was  not  only  unhealthy,  but  it  blackened  the  walls  and  ceilf 
ings  of  the  halls.  Indeed,  M.  Piron  pointed  out  to  me  on  the 
Untels  above  and  outside  the  windows,  the  deep  black  stain 
of  the  old  discarded  process. 

In  wandering  from  table  to  table,  looking  at  the  sealing- 
up  process  I  have  described,  I  came  to  that  portion  of  the 
establishment  from  which  letters  to  foreign  countries  are  des- 
patched. One  of  these  compartments  I  could  not  help  meas- 
uring; it  was  7  feet  10  inches  long,  by  9  broad.  "And 
this,"  said  I  to  my  obliging  conductor,  "  in  your  universe, 
represents '  la  Grande  Bretagne  ?' "  M.  Piron  returned  my 
smile,  and  at  the  same  time  pointed  out  to  me,  as  was  really 
the  case,  that  England's  little  table  was  very  much  larger 
than  that  of  any  other  nation  of  the  globe. 

On  the  ringing  of  a  bell,  the  whole  of  the  sealed-up  brown- 
paper  parcels  were  carried  off  by  porters  and  other  employes 
to  the  interior  yard,  when  they  were  quickly  pushed  into 
well-made,  enclosed,  four-wheeled  vans,  called  "  fourgons,"  of 
the  shape  of  an  English  hearse,  painted  crimson,  highly  var-' 
nished,  and  bearing  on  the  sides  the  words,  "  Transport  des 
Dep6ches."*  Each  of  these  carriages  was  drawn  by  a  pair  of 
Capital,  stout,  active,  sleek  entire  horses,  and  as  fisist  as  they 
were  filled  were  despatched,  with  a  guard,  to  the  metropolitan 
termini  of  the  various  railways.  The  scene  was  not  oi^y 
very  animating,  but,  as  involving  the  correspondence  of  Paris 
with  every  portion  of  the  civilized  globe,  was  highly  interest- 
ing. While  the  well-made  fourgons  were  trotting  out  of  the 
great  yard  they  were  often  crossed  by  the  heavy  cabriolets  of 
the  department,  which,  with  equal  energy,  were  to  be  seea 


v. 


*  Conveyance  of  loaik. 


!t3ljtai'«>p.j  Miii.ui 


-•'j*: 
% 


VS4 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBFNOH  STICKS, 


trotting  in,  with  the  words  '' Service  des  D^pdohes"  painted 
on  their  backs,  "  B^publique  Francjaise"  on  their  sides,  and 
drawn  by  stout  and  often  well-bred  horses,  not  only  neighing 
•yery  loudly  as  they  entered,  but  carrying  round  their  necks 
bells,  which  gave  cheerfulness,  and  almost  merriment,  to  their 
arrival.  Indeed,  between  the  horses  that  were  entering  and 
tho^  in  cabriolets  that  had  entered — and  which,  without  be- 
ing unharnessed,  without  being  tied  up,  and  without  any  one 
to  attend  to  them,  were  standing  between  the  shafts  of  theirv 
respective  carriages,  with  their  faces  to  the  dead  wall — there 
was,  by  neighs,  more  or  less  loud,  a  constant  interchange  of 
post-office  questions  and  answers,  to  which,  however  intently 
the  mind  might  be  occupied,  it  was  impossible  occasionally 
not  to  listen. 

The  whole  scene — ^rattling  of  wheels  and  neighing  in- 
cluded—^was,  however,  within  the  precincts  of  the  post  office. 
This,  in  France,  is  very  properly  considered  as  absolutely  ne- 
cessary ;  and  it  was  observed  to  me,  by  one  of  the  attendants, 
who  had  been  in  England,  that  he  had  been  much  astonished  to 
find  that  in  London  the  public  are  allowed  to  crowd  around 
so  important  a  service  as  that  which  at  the  moment  he  was  per- 
forming. I  told  him,  however,  as  regards  the  principal  of- 
fice, he  was  mistaken,  not  only  in  his  inference  but  in  his 
fact :  what  had  offended  him  he  had  probably  witnessed  at 
one  of  the  branch  offices  of  the  London  Post-office. 

As  soon  as  the  fourgons  were  all  despatched,  excepting 
the  occasional  tinkling  of  a  restless  bell,  or  a  merry  interjec- 
tional  neigh,  the  great  yard  was  quiet.  I  therefore  proceed- 
ed to  a  part  of  the  department  particularly  interesting  to  all 
foreigners. 

On  entering  a  short  narrow  passage  I  saw  before  me 
three  small  windows,  on  one  of  which  was  inscribed  "  A  to  F ;" 
on  the  next  "  a  to  0 ;"  and  on  the  third  'J  P  to  Z ;"  thus  un- 
equally dividing  the  alphabet  into  six,  nine,  and  eleven  let- 
ters. From  these  three  windows  are  delivered  the  whole  of 
the  letters  arriving  at  Paris  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  ad- 
dressed "  Poste  Restante."  In  the  interior,  opposite  to  each 
window,  is  a  box  about  three  feet  square,  divided  into  small 
compartments,  each  containing  the  letters  which  alphabeti- 
cally belong  to  it.  For  the  duties  of  this  office, — ^which  is 
open  from  eight  in  the  morning  until  seven  at  night,  every 


POST-OmCE. 


isir 


day  in  the  week  excepting  on  Sundays  and  on  f^te-days,  when 
it  is  closed  at  five  a.  m.,— one  clerk  at  a  time  is  found  to  be 
sufficient. 

While- 1  was  in  front  of  these  three  windows  a  French- 
man with  mustachios  was  bothering  this  poor  clerk  most  un- 
reasonably  through  the  left  one^  to  look  for  a  letter  ho  had 
lost  out  of  his  own  pocket-book  smce  he  had  been  at  the  win- 
dow, and  which  he  supposed  must  somehow  or  other  have  got 
through  it  into  the  interior  and  into  one  of  the  compartments 
far  out  of  his  reach  before  him.  With  the  utmost  civility 
the  clerk  looked  over  all  his  compartments  three  times,  and . 
yet  the  man  was  not  satisfied.  After  looking  them  over 
again,  he  said,  slightly  bowing,  bo  a  lady  who  was  standing 
before  the  middle  wmdow,  "II  n'y  a  rien  pour  vous,  Ma- 
dame."* The  poor  thing  looked  dreadfully  disappointed, 
and,  being  evidently  unable  to  go  away,  she  maintained  her 
position.  I,  then  delivering  my  card,  asked  if  there  was  any- 
thing for  me.  I  got  three  prizes,  on  the  receipt  of  which  I 
heard  the  poor  lady  beg  the  clerk  to  look  again,  as  she  was 
sv/re  there  must  be  one  for  her.  With  the  utmost  good- 
humour  he  did  as  he  was  requested.  I  did  not,  however, 
wait  the  result. 

Monsieur  Piron  was  now  kind  enough  to  show  me  some 
of  the  "  bureaux "  by  which  the  principal  duties  of  the  de- 
partment committed  to  his  sole  charge  are  transacted. 
Without  describing  their  details,  I  will  briefly  state  that,  on 
the  whole,  the  arrangements  of  the  Paris  Post-office  for  the 
receipt,  sorting,  and  distribution  of  letters,  are  very  credita- 
bly performed.  Indeed,  in  the  two  or  three  instances  I  have 
mentioned,  the  French  have  an  improved  management  which 
we  might  profitably  adopt. 

In  the  attempt,  however,  which  their  House  of  Assembly 
has  made  to  adopt  the  magnificent  British  system  of  postage 
invented  by  Mr.  Rowland  Hill,  they  have,  I  conceive,  partly 
failed — ^for  the  simple  reason  that,  under  severe  pecuniary 
embarrassments,  they  were  afraid  of  sinking  under  the  opera- 
tion ;  and  thus,  unwilling  to  continue  under  their  old  system, 
and  yet  unable  fully  to  adopt  the  new  one,  they  have  sought; 
for  refuge  in  a  half  measure,  which,  of  course,  cannot  even 

,  _      *Thew  is  notbing  for  yofl,  Madam  1 


% 


H1 


1 


186 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


produce  half  results.  The  habits  of  the  inhabitants  of  Parid 
are  not  fayourable  to  the  adoption  of  Mr.  Hill's  system  of  pre- 
payment. A  large  proportion  of  the  population  live  in  re-, 
gions  high  above  the  pavement  of  the  streets ;  and  although 
their  letters  are  left  for  them  with  the  concierge  beloffr,  they 
have  no  servant  whom  they  could  conveniently  despatch  and 
intrust  with  money  for  prepavment;  and  as,  contrary  to  our 
regulations  iv  England,  the  charge  is  the  same  whether  the 
letter  be  prepaid  or  not,  the  consequence  is,  that,  of  the  let- 
iurs  brought  to  the  General  Post-office  from  the  receiving- 
houses  around  it,  the  postage  oifom-Jifths  is  unpaid. 


Collection  and  Distribution  of  Letters  in  Fa/ris. 

There  are  daily  in  Paris  seven  collections  of  letters,  cor- 
responding with  the  seven  deliveries. 

The  hours  of  the  collections  are  regulated  according  to 
the  distance  between  the  several  offices  and  the  Central  Post- 
office.  The  boxes  situated  at  the  extremities  of  the  town  are 
taken  away  at  fixed  hourc^  indicated  for  the  commencement 
of  each  collection.  One  may  calculate  five  minutes'  delay, 
for  every  five  hundred  m^tnts  in  approaching  the  central 
(^00.  Tbe  boxes  i^ithin  a  perimeter  of  800  metres  from  the 
central  oF.oe  are  **li:en  away  eveir  half  an  hour  after  thoso 
of  the  Fauxbourgs,  these  of  the  General  Post-office  an  hour 
later.  In  no  case  does  the  delivery  of  a  letter  of  the  city  for 
the  city  require  more  than  three  hours.  Letters  deposited 
in  t^ie  box  at  the  precise  moment  of  the  departure,  or  in, 
thoue  of  the  perimdtre,  are  distributed  an  hour  and  a  naif  or : 
two  hours  at  latest  after  the  hour  of  the  ]>ep6t  deposit.  • 

The  first  distribution,  which  commences  at  half-past  seven, 
and  terminates  all  over  Paris  at  nine  o'o?.Guk,  comprehends 
the  letters  of  the  departments  and  of  foreign  countries,  also 
those  of  Paris  collected  in  the  boxes  the  night  before,  from 
mne  to.  half-past  nine  at  night. 

The  second  comprehends,  besides  the  Paris  letters  col- 
lected in  the  boxes  from  half-past  seven  to  a  quarter  past- 
e^ht,  those  of  the  second  English  courier,         .     .  .         .  ..i 

The  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  comprehend,  besides  the 
Paris  letters  coUeeted  in  the  bozeft,  these  which  at  different 


POST-OFFICE. 


18T. 


hours  of  the  day  haye  arrived  by  supplementary  couriers,  or  . 
by  the  railways.  | 

The  seventh  comprehends  the  letters  of  Paris  for  Paris, 
collected  in  the  boxes  from  five  o'clock  to  forty-five  minutes 

Sast  five  at  night,  the  letters  of  supplementary  couriers  from 
larseilles  and  Lyons,  letters  from  Italy,  Algeria,  &o. 

Money  Letters^  or  Regi9tered  Letters. 

In  each  of  the  post'offices  at  Paris,  are  received  money- 
letters  and  registered  letters  for  all  parts  of  France,  for  Al- 
geria, and  for  those  places  where  France  possesses  post- 
offices.  Pre-payment  is  obligatory  "  r  money  letters,  and 
optionar  (facultative)  for  registered  | 

Both  descriptions  must  always  bo  presented  at  the- offices. 
Money  letters  pay  a  double  postage ;  registered  letters,  be- 
sides the  ordinary  charge  determined  by  weight,  a  fixed  and 
supplementary  tax  of  five  sous.  They,  as  well  as  registered 
letters,  are  required  to  be  placed  in  an  envelope,  secured  at 
least  with  two  seals  in  wax,  covering  the  four  folds  of  the^ 
envelope ;  both  descriptions  of  letters  are  remitted  on  receipt 
at  the  domicile  of  tke  person  to  whom  they  are  directed. 

'  .  Postage  Stamps* 

The  stamps  or  figures,  sold  by  the  administration,  for  the 
franking  of  letters,  represent  "five  different  values:  the  first, 
colour  bistre,  two  sous;  second,  colour  green,  three  sous; 
third,  colour  blue,  five  sous;  fourth,  orange  colour,  eight 
sous ;  fifth,  colour  red,  twenty  sous,  or  one  franc.  The  pub^ 
lie  is  at  liberty  to  combine  these,  figures  or  stamps,  the 
franking  being  complete  in  all  cases  where  the  stamps  em- 
ployed represent  a  value  equivalent  tp  the  postage  due.  The 
stamps  are  sold  at  all  the  post-offices,  by  the  postmen,  re*' 
oeiving-houses,  and  by  the  sellers  of  tobacco. 

Charges, ' 

(  Letter^  of  Paris  for  Paris  are  charged  three  sous  (gneen 
stamp)  when  their  weight  does  not  exceed  fifteen  grammes ; 
si  supplementary  charge  "of  two  sous  is  made  for  each  addi- 
tional fifteen  granuues,  or  fraction  thereof 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photogi'aphic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRiET 

WEBSTER, NY.  MSSO 

(716)  872-4503 


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;«  On  the  Ist  of  Jantiary,  1849,  the  charges  for  the  postage 
of  letters  acoording  to  distance  were  abolished,  and  replaced 
by  a  uniform  charge  of  20  centimes  (2£il.),  which  by  the  loi 
4eB  Finances  of  the  18th  May,  1850,  was  raised  to  25  centimes 
{pild.)y  for  every  letter  not  exceeding  in  weight  7^  grammes, 
ad^essed  to  any  part  of  France,  Oorsica,  or  Algeria. 

For  letters  above  1^  granunes  nnd  )   ^    ^,^  -^ 
not  exceeding  16.    .    .    .    ,    .  J-   •"" '""'e*  "* 

Above  16  to  1(K)  grammes  ...  " 

Above  100  and  not  exoeeding  200  |^ 
an  additionaL     .    .    .    .    .    .  ' 

Lettera  for  Oreat  JSritian  not  ex- 
ceeding in  weight  *J^  grammes    ' 

Letters  o^  the  tame  veigM  to  Bel-  - 
giom  or  Switzerland   .    .    .    .  ' 

LetteiB  of  the  9mm  we^ht  to  Belgi- ' 

I  vm  or  Switserland,  firom  places  \ 

*!  wbioih  do  not  exceed  80  kilo*  '  * 
pidtrea*  , 

The  following  comparative  statement  of  thd  amount  of 
work  performed  by  the  Post-offices  of  Paris  and  London 
shows  now  large  is  the  correspondence  of  France : — - 

There  were  despatched  from  Paris  per  day  during  the 

year  1860— 

Letters       <i      ..J     .       .    f.  ,        161,000 
Newspapers  and  imprim^  .       .        210,000 


80  centimes, 
40    ** 


20 


u 


Total 


8tl,000 


There  were  despatched,  during  the  year  1850,  per  day, 
Sundays  exclusive^  m)m  the  London  Post-office,  for  delivery 
either  within  or  without  the  London  district — 

1.  Letten^  bookB>  and  other  packets,  exolueive  of  newspapers^ 

despatched  by  the  General  Post  beyond  the  London 
>     deliverv         .       .       .        .        .        .       .       .        .       162,000 

2.  Letter^  pooka^  and  other  pMkets^  indnding  duurgeable 

newspapers,  deliyered  within  the  8-mile  circle  of  the 

London  disjbriot  '     .        .        .        ...        .        .       11S4,000 

8.  Newspapers  and  other  doomnents  allowed  to  be  stamped 
as  suds  and  despatched  by  the  General  Post,  exdnsiye  of 
non-chargieable  newspapers  (of  which  no  record  is  kept^ 
'     poitted  and  deUveri^  Within  the  London  district    .       .      IHPOO 

Total       .       .       ,  .  400^000^. 

•  AMomdtreislOOOyards^liali.    , 

.11 


PSEFJST  DE  POUOm 


m 


PRi)FBT  DB  POLICE. 

A  French  genileman,  who  for  many  years  had  heen  thd 
prefect  of  a  department,  and  who  had  just  returned  from  » 
Tisit  to  England  to  his  peaceful  domicil  in  the  neighborhood 
of  *  *,  expressed  to  me,  as  we  happened  to  rest  together 
on  a  stone  bench  in  the  Ayenue  des  Champs  Elystes,  his 
astonishment  at  the  good  order  that  preyailed  in  London, 
"  In  England,"  said  he,  '^  all  people  appear  to  respect  the 
law.  Here  all  evade  it. '  In  solidity  you  English  are  like 
the  ancient  Romans ;  in  yiyacity  we  resemble  the  Athenians : 
and  yet,  although  in  England  you  punish  crime  with  great 
severity,  you  appear  to  be  ignorant  of  the  means  of  prevent^ 
ing  it;  in,  fkct,  you  require  an  Act  of  Parliament  to  punish 
notorious  evils  prevented  in  Paris  by  a  simple  order  of  police, 
and  in  all  the  smallest  commune  by  a  simple  order  of  the 
maire  I" 

^  Yes,*'  said  I,  ^'  but  it  is  to  that  very  sm^icUy^  as  you 
term  it,  that  we  particularly  objecot.'^ 

The  system  to  which  he  alluded  is,  I  believe,  something 
as  foUows. 

France  is  divided  into  eighty-six  departments,  to  each  of 
which  there  is  appointed  a  pr^fet. 

Every  department  is  subdivided  into  forty  arrondisse- 
ments,  to  each  of  which  there  is  a  sous-prefect. 

Tne  arrondissement  is  composed  of  various  cantons,  whioh 
are  headless. 

Every  canton  is  composed  of  from  twenty  to  forty  oom"* 
munes  (the  smallest  fractional  subdivision),  eaeh  of  which 
has  its  maire,  who,  practically  speaking,  regulates  his  little 
district  in  whatever  way  he  considers  will  oe  most  benefieial 
to  the  communitv. 

Now  the  prerect  of  the  police,  of  Paris,  the  only  prefect 
Of  the  police  in  France^  possesses  on  an  enormous  scale  the 
same  description  of  arbitrary  power  that  is  confided  to  every 
little  mayor ;  and  thus,  co-existent  with  the  monarchy,  the 
emperor,  and  the  r^nblic,  there  has  existed  and  there  does 


m 


A  FA&GOT  dF  mmas.  sticks. 


\  \ 


etill  exist  in  France  a  despbtio  authority  inconsistent'  with 
powers  which  in  theory  are  declared  to  be  supreme. 

The  prefecture  ox  police,  an  organization  of  enormous 
action,  is  composed  of.  various  departments  of  active  service, 
forming  a  cone  of  which  the  apex  is  the  prefect,  in  whose 
office  of  government,  as  in  a  hive,  upwards  of  three  hundred 
l^usy  worMbg  clerks  are  constantly  employed.  The  principal 
person  in  the  department  is  the  ^  Chef  de  la  Police  Munioi^ 
{>ale,"*  under  iHkom  there  «te-^   . 

1.  The  "•  Ch^  des  Services  de  la  Silreti^^  commanding  a 
brigade  of  exceedingly  adroit  men,  many  of  whom  are  not  only 
in  plain  clothes,  but,  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  murderers 
ana  robbers,  &c.  often  change  their  disguise  three  or  four  times 
A  day,  to  suit  the  localities  they  have  to  visit 

2.  The  «  Cfuf  d' Attribution  des  Hdtds  Ocamiesi^  whoi 
besides  suppressing  clandestine  gaming-houses,  watch  over  all 
political  refugees. 

3.  The  ^  Chtfd? Attribution  des  MoBursJ^  for  the  regula> 
jfion  of  houses  of  ill-fame,  &o. 

4.  The  "  Ch^  cPAMrtbution  des  VoUureSj  for  the  r^ulation 
and  observation  of  all  public  carriages. 

r  Lastly;  ^^  Bf^ades  C^Mraleif"  eompoBed  6t  ei^rgentB  de 
ville,  who,  in  uniform  and  in  various  disguises,  besides  otheir 
<luties,  perform  thosi  itftrusted  to  the  LoiMon  police. 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  are,  under  the  direction  of 
i|flie«  prifet  of  police,"-i- 

A  ^^Chtfde  Service  de  la  Navigation^**  possessing  author- 
ity over  every  boat  in  the  Seine,  with  power  to  regukte  what 
it  shall  bring,  aod  in  what  manner  it  shall  cUsembark  its 

A  <<  Chtf  de  Service  de  Id  SalttbritiJ*  who  has  dominion 
over  drains  of  every  des<»?h)tion,' with  power  to  visit  all  closets, 
which  oan  only  be  emptiea  by  people  authorized  to  do  so,  and 
whidi  mnst  be  int^cted  as  soon  as  emptied  \  also  the  inspeo* 
tion  of  all  gas4idbto  and  gas  arrangements. 

A  ^Chrfde  Service  des  HaUes  et  March^s^}  who  takes  care 
jof  the  provisloBS  of  Parus,  graii^,  flour,  &c. 

iSvex^  one  of  Uie  twelve  arrondissements  of  Paris  is  sub<- 
divided  into  lour  '^qnactiers,"  or  selotions,  eadb  superinteiided 


SvOiief  •£  thft  Muaidipal  FbUce, 


PRSFET  I>M  POUCm 


I 


iw 


by  a  ^  Commissaire  de  Folioe,"  who,  in  his  buveau  in  tbe  oen-' 
tre  of  his  district,  is,  in  faot^  the  efficient  head  of  the  police ; 
and  jet,  although  every  person  looks  only  to  his  own  commis- 
s'aire,  and  although  of  the  ''  pr^fet  de  i)olice,"  it  may  truly  be 
said  or  sung^  "  Oh  no,  we  never  mention  him,"  yet  all  the 
departments  I  have  enumerated,  under  his  sole  direction,  not, 
only  work  independeiatly,  but  harmoniously  interlace  together, 
playing  into  each  other's  hands,  giving  to  each  other  every  ^ 
information  in  their  power,  and  even  arresting  for  each  other 
any  one  whom  in  the  prosecution  of  their  own  duties  they  may: 
observe  infringing  upon  the  regulations  of  any  other .  depart' 
ment  in  the  several  services  to  which  they  belong ;  in  short,^ 
every  one  acts,  not  only  for  his  own  district,  but  for  all  Paris  / 
and  thus  the  eye  of  the  prefecture  of  police,  by  night  as  well  a8> 
by  day,  like  Shakapeare's  Ariel,  is  here,  there,  and  everywhere ; 
indeed)  almost  a  single  anecdote  will  exemplify  its  powers. 
When  Gaussidiere — ^now  in  London,  and  who  was  condemned 
with  Louis  Blano— owas  in  February,  1848,  made  ''prefect  of 
the  police  of  Paris,"  knowing  that  he  had  long  been  watched,> 
he  inc^iured  at  the  office  over  which  he  presided  for  his  own 
^}^  dossier."    On  reading  it  he  exclaimed  with  astonishment) 
"  Non  seulement  mes  actions,  mais  mes  jsens^  intimes  il"*>  ^ 
Again,  in  the  case  of  am  application  for  the  arrest  of*  a 
British  subj^'ot  whose  eccentricities  in  France  had  been  con<, 
strued  into  insanity,  and  who  in  fact  was  mad,  the  polioe  of 
Paris  refused  a  wiarrant  for  his  apprehension;  aakd  on  being 
pressed  to  do  so  on  the  ground  that  at  the  very  moment  1% 
question  he  was  actually  conducting  lianiself  before  them  as  a 
madman,  they  produced  his  ''  dossier"— composed  by  their 
own  agents — showing  not  only  how  much  eau-de-vie  he  had) 
drunk,  but  the  plaoes  and  houses  at  which,  on  that  very  day^, 
he  had,  previously  to  appearing  before  them,  swallowed  "  seveor 

glasses  of  it,"  aad,  as  it  was  therefore  the  brandy  and  not  the 
rains  in  his  head  that  Mpeared  tobe  in  faulty  the  appUoatioiir 
for  his  detention  was  lieuised..'  ^  . ,  ;  ■  ]iTer:nn.:i':.i:;j--.  ■  r,M  v<A^ 
The  necessity  for  the  poUee  <tf  Paris  is  eapposed  to  rest 
upon  a  principle  ererywheve  acknowledged  in  France,  that 
^no  one  meiabeii  of  the  oemmwtuty  has  »  right  to  do  that 
which  is  himrtful  to  aill,  and  therefore  that  all  persons  should! 
be  prevented  from  doing  so  by  rctgulatious,''  or^in  otiieswovd% 


*  TSot  only  my  acQone^  but iny  intamate  ih&ugMi P    "'  ^' 


aiJ^L 


i  ! 


■' 


)m 


A  FAQOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


by  the  ezeroise  of  despotic  aathority.  The  woi^kinff  )df  this' 
Bystem,  composed  of  much  good  and  some  evil,  may  oe  ezemt. 
plified  as  follows. 

Industrial  establishments,  "  ^tablissements  industriels," 
are  divided  by  the  police  into  three  classes,  namely,  dangerous, 
unhealthy,  and  offensive  (incommode). 

As  regards  the  first,  no  one  in  Paris  is  allowed  under  any 
circumstances  to  do  what  may  be  dangerous  to  the  community 
Without  obtaining  an  express  order  from  GK)vemment;  -and 
aocordinely,  under  this  head  no  steam-engine  can  begin  to 
work  within  the  city  until  it  has  passed  an  examination ;  and 
0ven  then,  if  it  be  of  high-pressure,  it  is  not  allowed  to  work, 
except  within  walls  of  >  certain  thickness  and  under  a  roof  of 
very  little  substance. 

As  regards  the  second,  all  manufactures  of  glue,  size,  and  of 
everything  deleterious  to  health,  must  be  carried  on  far  from 
buildings. 

As  regards  the  third,  any  machinery  or  manufactory,  hows* 
ever  safe,  however  innocuous,  and  although  it  may  have  cost  a 
couple  of  millions  of  francs,  may,  by  a  simple  order  of  police, 
be  shut  up,  if,  from  noise,  from  smell,  or  from  any  other  cause, 
it  prove  "  incommode  "  (inconvenient)  to  the  neighborhoodL 

The  outside  of  every  domicile  and  jbuilding  is  watched  by  the 
department  of  the  police,  whose  duty  is  to  see  that  its  fabric  is 
secure,  that  its  chimneys,  gutters,  &o.,  are.  sound,  and  that  no 
sign-board,  blind,  or  anything  else,  projects  farther  than  is  con- 
venient to  alL 

Every  shopkeeper  is  rigidly  prevented  frqpi  selling  anything 
Injurious  to  the  health  of  the  community.  Eor  this  reason  no 
one  is  allowed  to  act  as  a  chemist,  to  prepare  or  sell  any  medi- 
cine, untU  he  has  passed  a  strict  examination ;  and  after  he  has 
received  his  patent,  he  is  prevented  from  selling  any  poisonous 
substance  until  he  has  appeared  before  the  prraet  de  police  to 
petition  for  permission  to  do  so,  and  to  inscribe  the  locally  in 
which  his  establishment  is  situated,  and  even  then  he  is  rosr 
tricted  from  selling  poison  except  under  the  prescription  of  a 
physician,  surgeon,  or  apothecary,  which  must  be  dated,  signed, 
imd  in  which  not  only  the  dose  is  designated,  but  the  manner 
in  which  it  is  to  be  administered*  The  pharmacien  or  ehemist 
is  reqjuired  to  copy  the  prescription  at  the  moment  of  his  ma- 
king it  up,  into  his  register,  wnioh  he ,  is  reqiured  to  keep  for 


i; 


PBEFET  DE  POLICE, 


193 


"•1 

i 

n 

If' 

a 

le, 

le 
is 

10 


10 

li- 
as 
as 
to 
in 

)Sr 

a 
Id, 

er 

St 

la* 
'or 


w 


twenty  years,  to  be  submitted  to  tbe  authorities  whenever  re- 
quired.  Moreover,  poisons  of  all  sorts,  kept  by  a  chemist,  are 
required  to  be  secured  by  a  look,  the  key  of  which  must  be  in 
his  own  possession. 

Besides  these  securities,  the  commissaire  de  police,  accom- 
panied by  a  doctor  of  medicine,  or  by  professors  of  the  "  Ecole 
de  Pharmaoie,"*  occasionally  visit  the  shops  and  laboratories 
of  all  chemists  to  ascertain  that  the  drugs  in  their  possession 
are  of  proper  quality. 

As  a  further  security  to  the  public,  the  pr4fet  de  police  is 
re(]^uired  to  arrest  and  punish  all  vendors  of  secret  remedies 
which  have  not,  as  required  by  law,  been  submitted  to  a  com- 
mission of  five  professors  of  medicine  to  examine  the  composi- 
tion and  price  of  the  medicine  proposed  to  be  administered  to 
the  public,  and  of  which  tho  sale  has  not  been  authorised  in- 
the  bulletin  of  the  National  Academy  of  Medicine. 

No  secret  remedy  can  be  sold  or  even  be  advertised  by  a 
chemist  or  by  any  one,  unless  it  has  been  specially  authorised 
by  Government.  li  is  the  duty  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Medicine  to  examine,  and,  if  it  approves  of,  to  legalize,  the  sale 
of  any  medicine  that  has  not  been  invented  by  a  physician. 

The  following  judgments,  which  I  copied  from  the  news- 
papers while  I  was  in  Paris,  will  practically  explain  the  manner 
in  which  the  public  are  protected  from  the  ignorant  or  careless 
sale  of  medicines  or  poisons : —  -^ 

"  Secret  Remedies. — lA,  Jean-Marie  Toussaint^  jeweller,  appeared  before 
the  Correctional  Police  for  the  illegal  sale  of  medecine,  ana  of  a  secret 
remedy  described  by  him  as  'PoUdre  d6purative.'  The  accused  alleged 
in  his  defence  that  this  powder  is  a  secret  of  his  family ;  that  he  has  cured, 
by  means  of  this  powder,  many  jwrsons  of  distinction.  The  tribunal  con- 
demned the  jeweller'physioian  (bijoutier  m^decin)  to  a  fine  of  100  franca." 

"Poiaonmta  Substances. — ^M.  H- ,  chemist,  of  Paris,  has  been  f  jn- 

demned  by  the  Correctional  Police  to  pay  a  fine  of  100  francs,  for  having 
pT^  \m  premises  a  poisonous  substance  not  locked  up." 

In  the  west  end  of  Paris  the  police  have  lately  permitted 
chemists  to  sell  Morrison's  pills,  &c. ;  as  they  were  informed 
that  unless  they  allowed  the  English  to  swallow  their  own 
quack  medicines  (remedes  secretes),  in  short,  that  if  they  were 
to  be  stinted  from  their  habit  of  taking  medicine  of  the  oompq- 


*  School  of  Phainnacy. 


U 


194 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


sition  of  which  they  were  utterly  ignorant,  they — th©  Bull 
family — would  probably  leave  Paris  in  disgust. 

On  the  same  principle,  and  with  the  same  objects  in  yiew, 
the  police,  attended  by  persons  of  science,  inspect  the  cellars  of 
wine-merchants  to  shield  the  public  from  adulteration  or  falsi- 
fication. They  visit  cooks'-shops  to  see  that  the  meats  sold  are 
wholesome,  and  the  apparatus  (usually  of  brass)  clean.  Bakers 
are  divided  into  four  classes,  and  in  order  to  ensure  to  Paris  a 
constant  supply  of  three  months'  flour  in  advance,  class  No.  1 
are  required  always  to  have  on  hand  140  sacks ;  class  No.  2, 
80 ;  class  No.  3,  60 ;  and  class  No.  4,  50.  The  price  of  bread 
is  regulated  by  the  prefect  every  fortnight,  according  to  that  of 
grain  in  the  corn-market ;  and  common  bread  is  required  not 
only  to  be  of  a  certain  weight,  but  to  be  pure,  unadulterated, 
and  to  be  baked  in  ovens  of  a  proper  construction. 

But  besides  watching  over  the  lives,  properties,  health, 
safety,  comfort,  and  food  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Paris, 
the  prefect  of  police,  by  stringent  and  very  extraordinary  ef- 
forts, is  the  supervisor  of  the  morals — ^"  attentats  auz  moeurs  " 
— of  the  people. 

No  house  of  bad  conduct  is  allowed,  as  in  England,  of  its 
own  accord  to  fester  up  and  break  out  wherever  it  likes ;  but 
such  evils,  which  it  is  deemed  advisable  not  altogether  to  pre- 
vent, are  licensed  to  exist  in  certain  localities,  and  are  forbid- 
den from  others,  especiallv  from  the  vicinity  of  any  school, 
public  institution,  or  church.  From  the  instant  they  are  es- 
tablished the  exterior  and  interior  are  placed  under  the  con- 
stant  and  especial  surveillance  of  a  particular  department  of 
the  police,  the  regulations  of  which  appear  to  have  no  other 
object  than  despotically  to  reduce  to  the  minimum  the  list  of 
evils  consequent  upon  that  which,  if  not  implanted,  has  delibe- 
rately been  allowed  to  take  root.  For  instance,  each  mistress 
of  a  house  of  this  description  is  obliged,  within  twenty-four 
hours,  to  bring  with  her  to  be  enregistered  at  the  prefecture  of 

Eolice  every  female  who  may  be  desirous  to  live  with  her.  On 
er  arrival  there,  the  delinquent  is  seriously  admonished  to 
relinquish  her  intention ;  and  to  induce,  or  rather  to  terrify 
and  disgust  her,  she  is  informed  in  detail  of  the  surveillance 
to  which  she  will  be  subjected.  If  the  candidate  is  very  young, 
instead  of  this  course  she  is,  in  the  first  instance,  carried  from 
the  brink  of  ruin  to  the  hospital  of  St.  Lazare,  where  work  is 


\ 


■^ 


PRKFET  DE  POLICE, 


195 


given  to  her,  and  ondeavodm  are  made  to  reclaim  her.  If 
From  the  oountry,  a  letter  is  addressed  by  the  police  to  her 
parents  or  nearest  relatives,  informing  them  of  her  position, 
and  urging  them  to  save  her.  If  no  answer  be  received,  ana 
if  her  friends  cannot  be  found  out,  a  letter  is  written  to  the 
mayor  of  her  commune,  requesting  him  to  endeavour  to  do  so. 
If  her  friends  decline  to  come  forward,  or  if  it  be  ascertained 
that  she  is  friendless,  a  last  effort  is  made  in  the  hospital  of  St. 
Lazare  to  reclaim  her,  and,  if  that  proves  to  be  in  vain,  her 
name  is  then  irrevocably  inscribed ;  and,  destitute  of  character 
and  of  liberty,  she  passes  the  remainder  of  her  life  under  the 
dreadful  appellation  of  "  une  fille  inscrite."  Not  only  is  every 
change  of  her  domicile  recorded  in  the  books  of  the  police,  but 
on  the  ticket  she  is  obliged  to  bear, — and  which  at  any  hour 
and  by  any  person  she  may  be  required  to  produce — there 
must  be  inscribed  the  results  of  the  weekly  professional  visits 
to  which  she  is  subjected.  At  no  hour,  or  under  any  pretext, 
is  she  permitted,  as  in  England,  to  appear  at  the  windows  ol 
her  residence,  and  she  is  especially  interdicted  from  appearing 
in  the  gardens  of  the  Palais  Boyal,  the  Tuileries,  the  Lnxem* 
bourg,  or  the  Jardin  du  Roi.  She  is  allowed  only  to  walk  in 
certain  places ;  not  to  appear  without  a  bonnet ;  she  must  be 
dressed  in  "  toilette  dficente,"*  must  not  wear  clothes  "  trop 
£clatantes."t  On  the  contrary,  if  they  be  too  gaudy,  or  if  her 
conduct  be  in  any  way  improper  or  obtrusive,  she  is  liable  then 
and  there  to  be  arrested  by  any  member  of  the  police,  and  im> 
prisoned  in  the  Lazare  for  two  months. 

Of  the  houses  to  which  I  have  alluded  only  a  certain  pro- 

{>ortion  are  allowed  to  receive  any  females  but  their  own  regu- 
ar  lodgers. 

A  short  time  ago  the  Duchess  of happened  to  pay 

a  short  visit  to  one  of  these  abodes.  On  its  being  discovered 
by  the  police,  they  insisted  on  her  name,  like  that  of  all  the 
rest  of  its  inmates,  being  "inscribed"  in  the  books  of  the 
department ;  and  it  was  only  by  paying  a  very  high  fine  that 
her  Grace  escaped  from  the  regulation  which  would  have  sub- 
jected her — poor  thing — for  the  rest  of  her  life  to  the  visits, 
at  any  hour  and  at  any  place,  of  that  portion  of  the  police  who 
especially  watch  over  "  attentats  aux  moeurs." 


! 


*  Decent  costume. 


f  Too  gaudy. 


196 


A  FAQOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


o 


Besides  the  above  precautions,  It  party  of  police,  vrincipally 
disguised,  are  especially  appointed  to  discover  ana  to  make 
known  to  the  police  every  female, "  fille  isol^e,"  in  Paris  of 
deoid^  bad  oonduct-^termed  "  clandestine"-— in  order  that 
the^  also  may  be  summoned  and  their  names ''  inscribed,"  from 
which  moment,  like  the  most  destitute,  they  can  nmer  rid  them- 
lelvM  of  the  haunting  presence  and  severe  regulations  of  the 
police,  which,  utterly  regardless  of  their  feelings,  despotically 
guards  the  public  healtii. 

The  authority  which  the  police  of  Paris  exercises  over  lap 
bourers  and  servants  of  various  descriptions  is — especially  in 
ft  republic*— most  extraordinary. 

Every  workman  or  labouring  boy  is  obliged,  all  over  France. 
4o  provide  himself  wi€h  a  book  termed  "  un  livret,"  endorsea 
in  Paris  by^  a  commissaire  of  police,  and  in  other  towns  by  the 
mayor  or  his  assistants,  containing  his  description,  name,  age, 
birth-place,  profession,  and  the  name  of  the  master  by  whom 
he  is  employed.  In  fact,  no  person,  under  a  heavy  fine,  can 
employ  a  workman  unless  he  produce  a  "  livret"  of  the  above 
description,  bearing  an  acquittal  of  his  engagements  with  his 
last  master. 

Eve  ry  workman,  after  inscribing  in  his  "  livret"  the  day 
and  terms  of  his  engagement  with  a  new  master,  is  obliged  to 
leave  it  in  the  hands  of  his  said  master,  who  is  reouired,  under 
a  penalty,  to  restore  it  to  him  on  the  fulfilment  of  his  engaee- 
ment  Any  workman,  although  he  may  produce  a  regular 
passport,  found  travelling  without  his  book,  is  considered  as 
*' vagabond,"  and  as  such  may  be  arrested  and  punished  with 
from  three  t-o  six  months'  imprisonment,  and,  after  that,  sub- 
jected to  the  surveillance  of  the  "  haute  police"  for  at  least  five 
and  not  exceeding  ten  years.  No  new  ^  livret"  can  be  endorsed 
until  ite  owner  produces  the  old  one  filled  up.  In  case  of  a 
workman  losing  his  livret,  he  may,  on  the  presentation  of  his 
passport,  obtain  provisional  permission  to  work,  but  without 
authoritv  to  move  to  any  other  place  until  he  can  satisfy  the 
officer  of  police  that  he  is  free  from  all  engagements  to  his  last 
master.  Every  workman  coming  to  Paris  with  a  passport  is 
ifequired  — '"*^'- "^"^        '         *'*        •  ^  ■  ■  -^ 

feoture 
endorsed, 
passport  must  obtain  the  "  vis6"  of  the  police  to  his  " livret," 


PBEFET  DE  POLICE. 


wt 


\ 


Whioh,  in  fact,  oontainf  an  abttraot  history  of  his  ^  vie  indus- 
trielle."* 

As  a  description  of  the  political  department  of  the  police 
of  Paris  woiila  involve  details,  the  ramifications  of  which 
would  almost  be  endless,  I  will  onlv  briefly  state,  that  from 
the  masters  of  every  famished  hotel  and  lodging-house  (who 
are  required  to  insert  in  a  register,  endorsed  by  a  commis- 
saire  de  police,  the  name,  surname,  profession,  and  usual  do- 
micile of  every  person  who  sleeps  in  the  house  for  a  single 


night),  and  from 
readily  obtained 


innumerable  other  sources,  information  is 
Concerning  every  person,  and  especially 
every  stranger,  residing  in  the  metropolis.  For  instance,  at 
the  entrance  of  each  lodging,  and  of  almost  every  private 
house,  there  sits  a  being  termed  a  ^  concierge,"  who  knows 
the  hour  at  which  each  inmate  enters  and  goes  out;  who  calls 
on  him ;  how  many  letters  he  receives ;  by  their  post-marks, 
where  they  come  from  ;  what  parcels  are  left  for  nim ;  what 
they  appear  to  contain,  &c.  &c.  &c.  Again,  at  the  comer  of 
every  principal  street  there  is  located,  wearing  the  badge  of 
the  police,  a  "  commissionaire,"  acquainted  with  all  that  out- 
wardly goes  on  within  the  radius  of  his  Argus-eyed  observa- 
tions. From  these  people,  from  the  drivers  of  fiacres,  from 
the  sellers  of  vegetables,  from  fruiterers,  and  lastly,  from  the 
masters  of  wine-shops,  who  either  from  peojple  sober,  tipsy, 
or  drunk,  are  in  the  habit  of  hearing  an  infinity  of  garrulous 
details,  the  police  are  enabled  to  track  the  conduct  of  almost 
any  one,  and  if  necessary  to  follow  up  their  suspicions  by 
their  own  agents,  in  disguises  which,  practically  speaking, 
render  them  invisible. 

"  You  arcj"  said  very  gravely  to  me  a  gentleman  in  Paris 
of  high  station,  on  whom  I  had  had  occasion  to  call,  ^'  a  per- 
son of  some  consideration."  Your  object  here  is  not  understood, 
and  you  are  therefore  under  the  surveillance  of  the  police." 

I  asked  him  what  that  meant. 

"  Wherever  you  go,"  he  replied,  "  you  are  followed  by  an 
agent,  of  police.  When  one  is  tired,  he  hands  you  over  to 
another.  Whatever  you  do  is  known  to  them ;  and  at  this 
moment  there  is  one  waiting  in  the  street  until  you  leav« 


me. 


II 


•  ludustriallifo. 


liiit  ri-iii 


MM 


mm 


198 


A   FAGGOT  OF  FJiENCII  STICKS. 


w 


i 


Although  the  above  sketch,  whioL,  on  the  whole,  I  belier^ 
to  be  a  faithful  one,  delineates,  I  am  fully  aware,  a  system 
which  in  England  would  be  deemed  intolerable,  and  which, 
indeed,  I  have  not  the  smallest  desire  to  defend,  yet  it  must 
also  be  evident  that,  on  the  whole,  it  is  productive  of  a  series 
of  very  great  benefits  to  the  community. 

If  a  population  such  as  swarms  within  Great  Britain  oould 
exist  without  any  restriction  whatever,  it  would,  of  course,  en- 
joy what  would  justly  be  termed  perfect  liberty ;  but  if  that 
be  impracticable,  and  if  laws  and  restrictions  be  necessary 
evils,  it  follows  almost  inevitably  that  the  enjoyment  of  a  very 
small  liberty  ought  not  to  be  considered  of  greater  impor- 
tance than  the  attainment  of  a  very  great  public  benefit. 

For  instance,  in  a  land  of  perfect  liberty,  such  as  Califor- 
nia, any  man  ought  to  be  entitled  not  only  to  sell  medicinal 
drugs  in  any  way  he  may  think  proper,  but — as  he  has  also  a 
right  to  be  utterly  ignorant  of  their  nature  or  effects — he 
ought  to  be  allowed  to  keep  coffee  in  one  box,  sugar  of  lead 
in  another,  tea  in  another,  arsenic  in  another ;  moreover,  he 
has  an  undoubted  right,  after  his  dinner,  to  go  to  sleep,  and 
while  he  snores  aloud  to  leave  his  own  shop-nigger  to  sell  for 
him,  to  men,  women,  and  children  of  any  age,  his  own  goods, 
in  his  own  way.  Again,  in  such  a  land  of  perfect  liberty, 
every  man  ought  to  be  allowed  to  endeavour  to  cure  anybody 
that  wants  to  be  cured  by  him.  He  may  be  wrong  in  sup- 
posing that  a  mixture  of  sand  vitriol,  and  water  is  good  for 
the  eyes ;  that  ink,  lamp-black,  and  cobbler's  wax,  in  equal 
parts,  are  good  for  the  complexion ;  that  a  very  little  arsenio 
and  soft  soap  are  good  for  digestion ;  and  that  blistering  a 
baby's  feet  draws  inflammation  from  its  gums :  but  if  other 
free  people  not  only  agree  with  him  in  opinion,  but  from  long 
distances  come  to  him  on  purpose  to  give  him  two  shillings 
and  nine-pence  for  a  packet  of  his  remedy,  he  is  no  doubt 
fully  entitled  to  sell  it.  In  like  manner,  in  a  perfectly  free 
country,  every  woman  has  an  undoubted  right  to  be  admired 
or  abhorred,  or,  in  other  words  to  lead  a  virtuous  or  an  im- 
moral life,  just  as  she  may  prefer.  And  yet,  if  the  laws  of 
God  and  man  concur  in  punishing  one  individual  for  murder- 
ing another,  there  surely  exists  no  very  great  inconsistency 
in  depriving  any  member  of  a  very  large  community,  for  the 
public  good,  of  the  tiny  "  liberty  "  of  slowly  undermining  the 


W 


PREFET  DE  POLICE. 


199 


\ 


health,  destroying  the  happiness,  and  ruining  the  prospects  of 
•n  unlimited  number  of  his  or  her  fellow-creatures.  And  yet, 
although  this  common  axiom  is  as  fully  admitted  in  Great 
Britain  as  in  France,  there  exists  between  the  two  countries 
a  wide  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  extent  to  which  it 
should  be  applied;  and  thus,  while  the  French  people,  ages 
ago,  surrendered  themselves  at  discretion  to  the  prmciples, 

f;ood,  bad,  or  indifferent,  to  which  I  have  referred,  the  Eng- 
ish,  although  they  concur  in  the  theory,  very  slowly  and  very 
cautiously  have  been  and  still  are  progressively  carrying  it 
into  effect  by  the  establishment  of  a  "  new"  poor  law,  of  a 
"new"  London  police,  of  laws  forbidding  the  dead  to  be 
buried  among  the  living,  abolishing  Smithfield  market,  pre- 
venting the  sale  of  medicines  by  ignorant,  illiterate  people, 
&c.  &c.  &o. ;  and  although  the  ^^libefti/"  of  selling  quack  me- 
dicines ("remedes  secretes")  is  still  claimed  and  allowed, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it,  and  various  other  little  pet 
"  liberties"  of  a  similar  description,  will  in  due  time  be  slowly, 
carefully,  but  effectually  put  to  death. 

Between  the  English  and  the  French  systems  of  police 
there  of  course  will  and  alwavs  ought  to  remain  the  same  dif- 
ference which  characterizes  the  tastes,  habits,  and  opinions  of 
the  two  nations.  It  is,  however,  very  gratifying  to  observe, 
that  in  the  meanwhile  both  are  satisfied  with  the  efforts  they 
have  respectively  been  making  to  attain  the  same  good  object. 
In  England,  the  "  new  poor  law"  and  the  "  new  police"  are 
now  almost  as  highly  praised,  as  on  their  original  establishment 
they  were  execrated  and  condemned ;  nay,  the  establishment 
even  of  extramural  burial-grounds  and  extramural  slaughter- 
houses is  by  anticipation  already  far  from  being  unpopular. 

In  France,  the  intricate  system  I  have  but  faintly  de- 
scribed also  gives  satisfaction  to  the  majority  of  the  commu- 
nity; indeed,  it  is^an  extraordinary  fact,  that,  although  the 
power  of  the  monarchy,  of  the  republic,  of  the  empiire,  and 
even  of  the  army,  one  after  another  have  been  swept  away,  and 
although  at  almost  every  revolution  the  raw  will  of  the  people 
has  for  a  certain  period  become  the  sole  law  of  the  land,  yet 
the  police  of  Paris  has  never  foundered  in  the  storms  which 
have  destroyed  every  other  authority ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
system  is  al>out  to  be  adopted  in  the  great,  populous,  and  free 
e'iy  of  Lyons.  It  is  also  a  singular  fact  (at  least  on  very  high 
authority  I  was  told  so),  that,  besides  this  feeling  from  wiw- 


I 
i 


-#■ 


200 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


I  I 


dot,  80  strong  an  esprit  de  corps  exists  within  the  police  of 
Paris,  that  no  individual  in  its  regular  service  has  ever  been 
known  to  betray  it.  Persons  of  any  description  who  give  nsc 
ful  information  to  the  department  are  paid  for  it ;  but  since 
1827  no  man  of  bad  character  \ii^  been  retained  in  its  regular 
service. 

As  far  as  the  narrow  limtts  of  my  own  observation  ex- 
tended, I  feci  bonnd  to  speak  in  its  favour.  Excepting  a 
single  habit  of  Frenchmen  to  which  I  cannot  more  distinctly 
alludC)  during  my  residence  iu  Paris  I  never  witnessed  any 
public  act  of  the  slightest  indelicacy ;  on  the  contrary,  I  every- 
where beheld  a  polite  and  a  well-conducted  people,  who  ap- 
peared by  their  admirable  bearing  to  each  other,  and  above 
^U  to  strangers,  to  have  originated,  rather  than  have  been 
sul^eoted  by,  the  organized  force  which  like  the  atmosphere 
cveiiywhere  prevailed  around  them.  i 

The  direction  of  every  letter  I  received  may  have  been 
scanned,— -every  parcel  ^ven  to  my  concierge  may  have  been 
peeped  into, — the  name  of  every  person  that  called  on  me 
mav  have  been  noted  down : — I  may  have  been  wa  tched, — 
dodged, — ^followed :  wherever  I  went  there  may  have  appeared 
ttpon  the  wails  and  pavement  I  passed — as  my  shadow — ^the 
figure  of  a  commissaire-deopolice  in  uniform,  or  in  disguise : 
but  i  must  own  that,  whenever  these  light  amusing  ideas  gam- 
bolled across  my  mind,  I  did  the  French  people  the  justice  to 
place  into  the  other  scale  the  single  heavy  fact,  that  while  I, 
unmolested,  unembarrassed,  and  in  perfect  security,  could  wan- 
der wherever  I  liked,  there  lay  self-imprisoned  throughout  the 
day  in  Paris,  30,000  people  who— it  is  a  well-known  fact- 
dare  not  show  their  faces  to  the  police,  and  who  are  as  com- 
pletely subjected  by  its  power,  as  the  old-fashioned,  bull3^ng, 
window-breaking  mob  of  what  were  then  very  properly  termed 
"  blackguards,"  have  been  by  the  firm,  admirable  arrangements 
of  our  blue-clad  London  police.  | 

If  in  visiting  Paris,  my  object  had  been  to  conspire  against 
the  happiness  of  the  people ;  to  endeavour  to  overthrow  their 
government ;  and  to  involve  them  once  again  in  the  horrors 
of  another  revolution,  I  should  no  doubt — to  use  a  vulgar  ex- 
pression— have  deeply  cursed  "  the  eyes  and  limbs"  of  a  power 
that  would  not  only  have  confoun^d  my  politics,  and  have 
frustrated  my  knavish  tricky,  but  have  puuished  me,  promptiyi. 
89^$i;oly)  «&<i  arbitrarily. 


i\ 


THE  COMMISSIOUNAIRK 


201 


THE  COMMISSIONNAIRB. 


\\ 


It  is  an  extraordinary  fact,  that  while  in  eveiry  capital  on  the 
Continent,  and  even  at  Edinburgh  and  Dublin,  there  are  at 
the  corners  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  persona  of  good 
character,  well  known  to  the  community,  who  at  a  moment's 
warnipg  ma^  safely  be  intrusted  to  execute  the  numerous  lit- 
tle commissions  which  in  any  establishment  occasionally  re- 
quire a  trusty  messenger,  no  such  arrangement  exists  in 
London,  or  in  any  of  our  English  great  cities  or  towns. 

In  Paris  this  social  luxury  hasl)een  so  admirably  supplied, 
that,  like  iced  water  at  Naples,  the  community  could  now 
liardly  exist  without  it.  Accordingly,  at  the  interaeotion  of 
almost  all  the  principal  streets,  there  is  posted  by  the  police 
an  intelligent  respectable-looking  man  (there  are  about  12i,000 
of  them),  cleanly  dressed  in  blue  velveteen  trowsers,  and  a 
blue  corduroy  jacket,  on  the  breast  of  which  is  affixed  a  bras^ 
ticket,  invariably  forfeited  by  misoonduot,  bearing  his  OQQupa- 
tion  and  number,  as  follows : — 


iMi 


202 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


The  duties  of  this  commissionaire  are  not  only  at  various 
fixed  prices  to  go  messages  in  any  direction,  and  at  determined 
rates  to  perform  innumerable  other  useful  services,  but  he  is 
especially  directed  to  assist  aged  and  infirm  people  of  both 
sexes  in  crossing  streets  crowded  with  carriages,  and  to  give 
to  strangers  who  may  inquire  their  way  every  possible  assist 
ance. 

The  luxury  of  living,  wherever  you  may  happen  to  lodge, 
within  convenient  reach  of  a  person  of  this  description,  is  very 
great.  For  instance,  within  fifty  yards  of  my  lodgings  there 
was  an  active,  honest,  intelligent,  dark-blue  fellow,  who  was  to 
me  a  living  book  of  useful  knowledge.  Grumbling  up  the 
newspaper  he  was  usually  reading,  he  could,  in  the  middle  of 
a  paragraph  and  a  moment's  notice,  get  me  any  sort  of  car- 
riage,— recommend  me  to  every  description  of  shop, — tell  me 
the  colour  of  the  omnibus  I  wanted, — ^where  I  was  to  find  it,— 
where  I  was  to  leave  it, — how  I  ought  to  dress,  to  go  here, — 
there, — or  anywhere : — what  was  done  in  the  House  of  Assem- 
bly last  night; — ^who  spoke  best, — ^what  was  said  of  his  speech, 
— and  what  the  world  thought  of  things  in  general.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  was,  if  possible,  more  useful  to  the  sergeant  of 
police  of  the  district  than  to  me.  He  could  tell  him  where  I 
went,  what  I  bought,  what  I  said,  what  I  thought,  and,  above 
all,  how  I  looked  when  I  was  not  thinking.  He  could  explain 
to .  him  all  about  my  eyes,  how  inquisitive  they  both  were, 
what  odd  places  they  visited,  &c.  &c.  When  my  friend  was 
absent,  as  of  course  he  often  was,  engaged  in  the  service  of 
others,  I  repeatedly  employed  a  brother  commissionnaire,  at 
some  distance  from  my  lodging,  who  was  exceedingly  loqua- 
cious and  intelligent.  One  morning  as,  while  waiting  for  an 
omnibus,  I  stood  talking  to  him,  he  told  me  he  wished  very 
much  to  get  employment  in  London,  of  which  he  had  heard  a 
great  desd,  and,  on  my  asking  him  what  he  could  do  if  he  was 
there,  he  burst  out  with  such  surprising  eloquence  on  the  sub* 
ject,  that  I  desired  him  to  call  upon  me  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  after  I  had  had  my  dinner. 

I  was  reclining  in  an  easy  chair  when  he  entered.     I    )ld 
him  that,  among  other  investigations  I  was  making,  I  wanted 
to  understand  what  were  the  qualifications  of  a  Paris  commis- 
and  I  added,  that,  if  he  would  explain  to  me  what  he 


sioner 


W 


was  in  the  habit  of  doing,  I  would  write  it  down,  in  abbrevia- 
tion  almost  as  fast  as  he  could  utter  it. 


THE  COMMISSJONNAIRE. 


203 


\\ 


tfpon  this,  away  he  started,  hat  at  such  a  tremendous  pace, 
that  it  was  utterly  impossihle  to  follow  him.  Laying  down 
my  pencil  over  and  over  again,  I  told  him  that  that  would  not 
do.  We  had  I  think  as  many  false  starts,  as  if  he  had  heen 
running  for  the  Derhy ;  at  last  I  succeeded  in  teaching  him 
the  rate  at  which  he  was  to  canter,  not  gallop ;  and  accord- 
ingly I  then  easily,  without  the  alteration  of  a  single  word, 
copied  from  his  curhed  mouth  the  following  long-winded,  rig- 
marole story,  which  will  not  only  explain  the  extraordinary 
volubility  of  tongue  and  facility  of  expression  of  a  Paris  com- 
missionnaire,  but  the.services,  good  and  (I  regret  to  add)  evil, 
which  it  appears  he  is  occasionally  in  the  habit  of  perform- 
ing:— 

The  Statement  of CommUsionnaire* 

"  MoDBieur !  je  cire  les  bottes ;  je  scie  le  bois ;  je  le  monte  dans  les  ap- 
partements ;  je  porte  les  malles  et  bagage,  et  tout  ce  qui  se  pr^sente ;  je 

Eorte  les  lettres,  des  paquets ;  je  frotte  les  appartements,  puis  les  esca- 
ers ;  je  lave  les  parterres  et  les  salles  &  monger ;  je  fais  des  mteage- 
ments  avec  un  brancard ;  $a  se  porte  k  deux  hommes  avec  des  bricoles  en 
cuir ;  je  tratne  la  cfaarrette,  des  malles,  du  bois,  des  meublcs ;  je  bats  les 
tapis,  je  les  d^cloue  des  appartements,  et  je  les  porte  4  la  barri^re  ea 
denors  de  Paris,  oui,  Monsieur  1  je  les  rapporte  k  les  personnes  4  qui  ils 
appartiennent ;  je  les  pose ;  je  sais  faire  un  appartement ;  je  Ma  des  lits 
dans  Tappartement ;  je  mets  en  couleur  le  parquet  des  appartements :  ie 
garde  un  malade  la  nuit,  le  jour  (a  sbinig),  a  la  joum^e  (a  sbrug),  et  &  la 
nuit  auasi  (a  shrug) ;  je  conviens  du  prix  avec  les  personnes  qui  m'em- 
ploient  cinq  francs  poiu*  la  nuit,  huit  nrancs  pour  les  vingt-quatre  heures, 

3uand  les  personnes  ne  me  nourrissent  pas ;  en  outre,  je  garde  les  morts 
ans  I'appartement  pendant  les  vingt-quatre  heures  qu'ils  restent  exposes ; 


*  "  Sir,  I  black  boots ;  I  saw  wood ;  I  take  it  up  into  the  apartments; 
I  carry  portmanteaus  and  luggage,  and  whatever  offers  itself;  I  carry 
letters  and  parcels ;  I  rub  the  floors  of  apartments  and  stairs ;  I  wash  the 
floors  and  the  dining-rooms ;  I  change  furniture  from  one  house  to  another 
with  a  hand-barrow, — carried  by  two  men  with  leathern  straps ;  I  draw  a 
cart  with  portmanteaus,  wood,  or  furniture ;  I  beat  carpets,  take  them  up 
out  of  the  apartments,  and  carry  them  to  the  barrier  outside  of  Paris  (yes, 
Sir);  I  bring  them  back  to  the  persons  to  whom  they  belong;  I  lay  them 
down.  I  know  how  to  arrange  a  room ;  I  make  the  beds ;  I  colour  the  in- 
laid floors  of  the  apartments ;  I  watch  a  sick  person  through  the  night  and 
day  (a  shrug),  for  so  much  a  day  (a  shrug),  and  for  the  night  also  (a  shrug); 
I  agree  as  to  the  price  with  those  persons  who  employ  me,  for  five  fVancs 
the  night,  eight  francs  for  the  twenty-four  hows,  when  they  do  not  feed 
me;  besides,  I  watdi  tiie  dead  in  the  apartment  during  the  twenty-four 


•fiSOfe 


204 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FEENCJI  STICKS. 


w 


eafin  (three  shrugs)  je  faia  ious  ce  qui  se  pr^ente :  je  toncbe  les  liilleta  de 
commerce  &  ordre,  miand  on  me  charge  ue  la  commisaion,  et  que  Ton  me 
donne  le  billet  pour  le  toudier ;  je  rapporte  Targent  &  la  personne  qui  m'a 
CCIO&&  le  billet,  et  la  personne  me  paie  ma  c(Mnmistfion :  f  engage  an  Mont 
de  Fi6t6  tout  ce  que  le  public  me  veut  bien  confier,—- ujoux  (a  shrug), 
baques  (a  shrv^),  cbaines,  montres,  ox,  ou  argent ;  j'en^^age  cuillidres  et  four* 
chettes,  en  araent,  k  manger ;  j'euKage  pendules,  du  luige ;  on  engage  tout 
(a  shrug)  au  Mont  de  Pi6t^,  meubles,  pianos,  roatelas,  candelabres,  lustres : 
enfin,  on  engage  tout  ce  qui  a  de  la  valeur;  et  je  rapporte  I'argent  et  le 
papier  d'engag^ement  4  la  personne  qui  m'a  bien  yomu  oonfier  cctte  com- 
mission-yi,  et  en  m^e  temps  la  personne  me  paie  ma  commission. 

**  Aprds,  je  d^goge  des  effets  du  Mont  de  I^t6,  pour  toutes  les  jxxwxt- 
nes  qui  veulent  bten  m'honorer  de  leurs  commissions,  pouryu  que  la  per- 
sonne mette  sa  signature  sur  le  rovers  du  papier  que  le  Mont  de  fi6t6  lui  a 
donn6  le  jour  01^  elle  a  engage  les  objets  quelconques. 

"  Je  vais  en  commission  dans  les  d^partements  de  toute  la  France,  et 
dans  I'dtranger  (shrug)  la  ra&me  chose,  moyennant  le  prix  convenu  et  en 
prix  raisonnable ;  je  prends  les  chemins  de  fer  (shrug),  la  diligence  (shrug) ; 
ie  vais  au  plus  vite,  et  je  reviens  au  plus  vite;  je  brosse  un  choval,  moil 
je  lui  donne  A  manger ;  je  lave  la  voiture ;  ie  sais  conduire  la  vdture :  je 
fiEus  la  cave ;  je  rince  les  bouteilles ;  je  mets  le  vin  en  bouteille ;  j'empile  les 
bouteilles  quand  elles  sent  bouchees  et  goudronn^es ;  je  descends  lea 
pieces  de  vm  4  la  cave  avec  une  grosse  corde  &  I'aide  d'uu  camarade,  et  Ie 


i 


hours  that  they  remain  exposed ;  in  short  (three  shrugs),  I  do  whatever  is 
offered  to  me.  I  receive  commercial  notes,  for  \7h0ever  wiU  charge  me  with 
the  commission,  and  who  will  give  me  the  note  to  enable  me  to  receive  it ; 
I  bring  back  the  money  to  the  person  who  has  intrusted  me  with  the  note, 
and  the  person  pays  me  for  my  commission ;  I  pawn  at  the  Mont  de  Pi6t6 
whatever  the  public  is  willing  to  intrust  to  me, — jewels  (a  shrug),  chains, 
watches,  gold,  or  silver ;  I  pawn  silver  spoons  and  forks,  for  eating ;  I 
pawn  clocks,  linen ;  they  take  everything  in  pawn  (a  shrug)  at  the  Mont 
de  Pi6t€, — furniture,  pianos,  mattresses,  cahdelabras, lustres;  in  short,  they 
take  in  pawn  everyttung  of  value ;  and  I  bring  back  the  money  and  the 
pawnbroker's  ticket  to  the  person  who  has  intrusted  me  with  the  conomis- 
fiion,  and  at  the  same  time  that  person  pays  me  for  my  commission. 

"  Afterwards,  I  redeem  pawned  articles  from  the  Mont  de  Pi^t^  for  all 
those  persons  who  choose  to  honour  me  with  then*  commissions,  provided 
that  the  person  puts  his  signature  on  the  back  of  the  paper  wnich  the 
Mont  de  Fi€t^  delivered  to  him  on  the  day  when  he  pawnea  the  aforesaid 
articles. 

"I  act  OS  commissioner  throughout  all  the  departments  of  France,  and 
also  (shrug)  in  foreign  countries,  according  to  the  price  agreed  on,  and  at  a 
reasonable  price ;  I  travel  on  the  railroads (shn^),  in  the  diligence  (shrug); 
I  go  as  quick  as  I  can,  and  I  come  bock  as  quick  as  T  can;  I  rub  down  a 
horse ;  1  con  I  I  feed  him ;  wash  the  carriage ;  drive  the  carriage ;  arrange 
the  cellar ;  rinse  ont  the  bottles ;  bottle  the  wine ;  pile  up  the  bottles  after 
they  are  corked  and  stamped  *,  lower  the  hog^ada  of  wine  into  ti^  cellair 


1  ( 


TEE  COMMISSIONirAIRE, 


20g 


\ 


prix  c'est  deux  francs  par  pi^.    Iians  mon  pays  je  suis  laboureur — ^tont 
ce  qui  conceme  &  travailler  la  terre.    Je  ddracine  les  arbres ;  je  les  scie  en 
pluaieurs  traits  de  scie ;  je  le  fends ;  je  I'empile  pour  qu'il  sdche ;  ensuite 
je  le  i^arge  sur  miUets,  et  je  Vemporte  &  la  juaison  pour  br^er  k  Vusage 
de  la  maison ;  ensuite  je  fiaudie  les  foins  et  les  bliSs,  ie  transporte  les  bl£s 
dans  la  grange  (shrugj^  et  le  foie  aussi ;  je  bats  le  bl6  et  je  le  renferme 
dans  le  grenier ;  ^ors  on  le  prend  au  fur  et  d  mesure  pour  le  fipdre  moudre 
et  pour  faire  du  pain.    Je  tulle  la  vigne,  je  pioohe  la  vigne ;  j'y  met  des 
dcbalats  k  cbaque  pied  de  vigne  pour  que  la  vigne  ne  se  courbe  pas ;  en 
m^me  tems  j'attacne  la  vigne  I'^chalat  avec  de  la  paille  qui  a  6t^  trempd 
dans  I'eau,  et  de  la  paille  trite  exprds  pour  attadier  la  vigne  4  I'^cna- 
lat,  pour  que  les  raisins  mt^ssent  mieux,  et  qu'ils  ne  se  tratnent  pas 
Bur  la  terre.     Maintenent  je  fais  la  vendange,  $a  veut  dire  ramasser 
les  raisins;  je  les  emporte  k  la  maison  avec  une  hotte  qui  se  porte 
sur  le  dos  k  I'aide  de  deux  bricoles  qui  sont  attach^es  et  clouds  k  la 
hotte.     Quand  la  hotte  est  pleine   oes  raisins,  elle  pdse  deux  cent 
livres.    Apr^p  je  I'emporte  k  la  maison,  et  je  la  vide  dans  une  grande 
cave,  qui  est,  faite  exprds  pour  caver  le  vin.     Mes  vendanges  durent 
quatre  jours  (shrug),  cinq  jours;  et  quand  j'ai  fini  de  venaanger  ma 
cave  est  pleine :  alors  je  m'occupe  tous  les  jours  de  piger  (^eraser)  les 
raisins  avec  un  pilon  en  bois  qui  est  rond  et  qui  est  fait  expr^s  pour  cette 
diose-l&.    n  est  trds  large  du  bas.    Ensuite  au  bout  de  quinze  jours  mon 
vin  est  cav6.    Je  le  tire  par  dessous  pendant  que  la  cave  en  foumit     Ce 
yiu  UL  c'est  la  premiere  quality.    Je  le  mets  dans  un  tonneau  k  part,  et  je 


with  a  thick  rope,  with  the  help  of  a  comrade,  and  the  price  is  two  francs 

for  each  hqgshead.    In  my  own  country  I  am  a  labourer,  and  do  eveiy- 

thing  relating  to  the  cultivation  of  the  ground.    I  root  up  the  trees ;  I  saw 

them  into  several  lengths;   I  split  Ihe  wood;  pile  it  up  to  dry;  then 

load  it  on  mules,  and  carry  it  to  the  house  to  be  biunt;  afterwards  I  mow 

tlie  hay  and  corn ;  carry  the  com  into  the  bam  (shrug),  and  the  hay  also ; 

thrash  the  com,  and  put  it  away  into  the  granaiy ;  from  whence  they  take 

it  out  by  little  and  little  to  have  it  ground  and  to  make  bread.    I  prune 

the  vines;  dig  round  them;  put  props  at  the  foot  of  each  to  support 

it  from  benc^g;  at  the  same  time  I  fasten  the  vines  to  them  with 

straw  which  has  been  soaked  in  water,  and  selected  expressly  to  fasten  the 

vine  to  the  prop,  so  that  the  grapes  may  ripen  better,  and  that  they  may 

not  trail  on  the  groimd.    Kow  I  commence  my  vintage,  that  is  to  say, 

gather  the  grapes ;  I  carry  them  to  the  house  in  a  rough  basket,  which  is 

carried  on  tiie  hack  by  means  of  two  straps,  fastened  and  nailed  on  to  the 

basket,    When  the  basket  is  fiill  of  grapes  it  weighs  two  hundred  pounds. 

Afterwards,  I  carry  it  to  the  house,  ana  empty  it  into  a  lai^e  cellar  made 

expressly  to  contain  the  wine.    My  vintage  lasts  four  days  f shrug),  five 

days ;  and  by  the  time  I  have  finished  my  vintage  my  cellar  is  full ;  then 

I  employ  myself  every  day  in  crushing  the  grapes  with  a  wooden  pestle, 

which  is  round,  and  made  expressly  for  the  purpose.    It  is  very  wide  at 

the  bottom.    Afterwards,  at  the  end  of  fifteen  days,  my  wine  is  in  the 

cellar.    I  draw  it  ofif  from  below  as  long  as  the  cellar  supplies  it    This 

^e  is  of  the  first  quality.    I  put  it  uito  a  cask  by  itself  uid  I  keep  it  ta 


iiOHi 


206 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


le  conserve  pour  rendre,  pour  paver  lea  contributions  de  ma  vigne.  lL€ 
mare  qui  reste  dans  la  cave  jo  le  prends  avec  des  sceaux  et  je  le  porte 
au  pressoir ;  Id  je  le  presse,  et  le  vin  que  j'en  retire  c'est  pour  usage  de 
ma  famille.    Oe  vin-k  est  iufiSrieur  au  premier  (shrug)  (parce  que  le 

£  rentier  vient  des  grains  des  raisins  les  plus  m<irs  qui  se  trouvent  ^erases), 
[aintenant,  le  mare  qui  me  reste,  que  je  retire  du  pressoir,  je  le  mets 
dans  une  cave  exprds  pour  cela,  et  j'y  mets  sept  (shrug)  sceaux  d'eau, 
et  je  laisse  bouiller  9a  pendant  cinq  ou  six  jours ;  ensuite,  ce  mare-l&  j'en 
fais  de  I'eau  de  vie ;  je  fais  cuire  ce  mare-lA  dans  un  alambic.  Au  fur  et  a 
mesure  que  (a  est  cuit,  la  vapeur  concentric  me  rend  I'eau  de  vie  &  22 
degr^s,  aiors  qu^  je  le  r^duis  A  18  degr^s  (vu  qu'd  22  degr^s  il  esttrop 
fort,  il  fidt  du  mal  au  tempi^rament)  en  ajoutant  de  I'eau.  Cfest  comme 
fa  qu'on  travaille  chez  nous ;  on  &it  son  vin  (shrug) ;  on  fait  son  eau  de 
vie  (shrug) ;  on  bat  son  bl6 ;  on  fitit  du  pain  pour  im  moia.  Le  foiur  oti. 
Ton  cuit  le  pain  est  en  commua  II  appartient  k  mon  village.  On  cuit 
dnquante  cinq  pains  de  huit  livres  chacun.  Quand  le  four  a  besoin  d'etre 
r6par6,  c'est  le  sindic  du  village  qui  fait  &ire  les  reparations  n^essaires. 
n  paie  avec  les  revenus  du  village,  comme  il  y  a  des  revenus  des  terres 
que  nos  ancStres  ont  donnas  pour  une  6cole  de  gar^ons  et  de  demoiselles. 
Cette  4cole  on  la  tient  six  mois  de  I'ann^e,  et  on  donne  au  maitre  d'^cole^  ^ 
des  gardens  soixante-dix  francs,  et  4  la  mattresse  d'^cole  pour  les  fillea  ^ 
cinquante  francs  poiur  les  six  mois.  Ces  revenus  Id  sent  des  terres  la- 
bourables,  pr^s  et  champs  appartenant  au  village.  Oes  terres-la  se 
louent  k  la  cri^e :  on  les  donne  k  celui  qui  en  offire  le  plus  haut  prix ; 


sell,  in  order  to  pay  the  contributions  of  my  vineyard.  The  residue  which 
remains  in  the  cellar  I  take  away  in  pails,  and  carry  it  to  the  wine-press; 
there  I  press  it,  and  the  wine  I  get  from  it  is  for  the  use  of  my  family. 
This  wine  b  inferior  to  the  first  (shrug)  (because  the  first  is  maae  of  the 
ripest  grapes  which  are  crushed).  Now,  the  residue  which  remains,  which 
I  take  out  of  the  wine-press,  I  put  into  a  cellar  made  on  purpose  for  it, 
and  I  add  to  it  from  seven  (shrug)  to  eight  (shrug)  pails  of  water,  and  I 
let  it  all  boil  diuing  five  or  six  days ;  after  that,  I  make  brandy  from  this 
residue.  I  warm  this  residue  in  a  stilL  By  slow  degrees,  as  it  becomes 
heated,  the  concentrated  vapour  produces  me  brandy  of  22  degrees 
strength;  which  I  reduce  to  18  degrees  (because  at  22  degrees  it  is  too 
strong,  it  is  bad  for  the  constitution)  by  adding  water  to  it  That  is  the 
way  we  work  in  oiur  country ;  we  make  our  wine  (shrug),  we  make  our 
own  brandy  (shrug),  we  thrash  our  com,  we  make  brea^  enough  for  a 
month.  The  oven  where  we  make  our  bread  is  in  common ;  it  belongs  to 
my  village.  They  bake  fifty-five  loaves,  of  eight  pounds  each.  When  the 
oven  requires  to  be  repaired,  it  is  the  syndic  of  we  village  who  has  what 
is  necessary  done.  He  pays  with  the  revenues  of  the  viUage,  proceeding 
from  some  lands  which  our  ancestors  gave  for  a  school  for  boys  and  for 
girls.  This  school  is  kept  during  six  months  of  the  year,  and  they  give  the 
boys'  schoolmaster  seventy  francs,  and  the  girls'  schoolmistress  fifty  francs 
for  the  six  months.  These  revenues  are  from  lands  under  cultivation, 
meadows  and  fields  belonging  to  the  village.  They  are  let  by  auction ;  to 
him  who  o£fers  the  highest  price  they  are  given  on  certain  conditioDs ;  if  he 


THE  COMMISSIONNAIBE. 


207 


pourvu  que,  s'il  n'a  paa  de  quoi  payer  la  rente,  il  foumisae  une  Gauti<xi 
Buyable  qui  s'en  rende  respouBable." 

After  a  short  pause  and  a  heavy  aspiration,  he  added—- 

"  Reyenons  aux  Commissions  I" 

"  Quand  il  passe  une  belle  fcmme,  parfois^  il  y  a  un  monsieur  qui  me 
ditv  '  Commissionnaire,  suiyez  cette  dame-l&,  et  tftchez  de  aayoir  son  nom ; 
'  yous  me  rapporterez  son  nom  et  son  adresse ;  yoilA  ma  carte  oil  je  de- 
'  meure :  ayez  le  nom  bien  exacts  et  rendez  moi  la  r6ponse  chez  raoi  li  six 
'  heures  du  soir ;  je  yous  payerai  yotre  commission  g6n6reusement.'  Je 
lui  r^ponds,  'Monsieur,  Madame  reste  rue  (shrug),  (ivimportel),  (fee.  Elle 
*  se  nomme  Mademoiselle  '.  Maintenant,  Monsieur,  o  est  &  yous  de  lui 
'  ^crire  si  9a  yous  fiait  plabir.  Ce  monsieur  alors  me  dit,  Yenez  domain  k 
'  neuf  heures  du  matin ;  je  yous  donnerai  une  lettre  pour  remettre  4 
'  mademoiselle.'  Maintenant  je  yais  porter  la  lettre ;  monsieur  me  yoit 
de  retour.  'Voici  la  r^ponse  d  yotre  lettre  1'  'Ah,  je  yous  remercie, 
'commissionnaire!'  Eh  bien  I  combien  yous  dois-je,  commissionnaire?' 
'  Monsieur,  cette  demoiselle  m'a  fait  attendi'e  longtemps  pour  ayoir  la  r6- 
'  ponse  ainsi,  Monsiem-,  9a  yaut  bien  trente  sous ;  yous  sayez  que  o'est 
'loin!'  'Eh  bien,  yoil4  trente  sous,  commissionnaire;  si  j'ai  besoin  de 
'  yous  demain,  je  passerai  &  yotre  station.'  Maintenant  ce  monsieur  me 
&it  des  questions.  H  me  demande,  'A-t-elle  tm  beau  mobilier  oette  de- 
'  moiselle  \kV  Je  lui  r^ponds,  'Oui,  Monsieur'  (a  shrug).  'J'aiyu  un 
'  bon  lit,  un  secretaire  commode,  une  belle  pendule  but  la  chemin^,  et 


has  not  sufficient  security  of  fiis  own  to  answer  the  payment  of  his  rent^ 
he  must  find  a  solyent  ijail  to  answer  for  him. 
•>    "  But  to  return  to  the  Commission. 

"  Sometimes,  when  a  beautiful  woman  passes  by,  a  gentleman  says  to 
me.  Commissioner,  follow  that  lady,  and  try  to  find  out  her  name ;  you 
must  bring  me  back  her  name  and  address;  here  is  my  card  and  direc- 
tion where  I  liye :  get  the  name  veiy  exacts  and  bring  me  back  the  an- 
swer to  my  house  at  six  o'clock  this  eyening :  I  will  pay  you  liberally  for 

your   commission.    I  answer  him,    'Sir,   Madame, liyes  in street' 

(shrug),  (neyer  mind  where !),  Ac.     '  She  is  called  Mademoiselle . 

Now,  Sir,  you  can  write  to  her,  if  that  is  agreeable  to  you.'  This  gentle- 
man then  says  to  me,  '  Come  to-morrow  morning  at  9  o'clock :  I  will  give 
you  a  letter  to  deliyer  to  Mademoiselle.'  Now  I  go  and  caiTy  the  letter ; 
Monsieur  sees  me  return.  *  Here  is  the  answer  to  your  letter  I'  '  Ah  I 
I  thank  you.  Commissioner!  Well!  how  much  do  I  owe  you,  Commis- 
sioner?" '  Sir,  this  young  lady  kept  me  waiting  a  long  time  for  her  an- 
swer ;  so,  Sir,  it  is  well  worth  thirty  sous ;  you  know  it  is  a  long  way 
off  1'  '  Well,  here  are  thirty  sous,  Commissioner ;  if  I  want  you  to-mor- 
row I  shall  pass  by  your  station.'  Now,  this  gentleman  puts  to  me  some 
JuestiouB.  He  asks  me,  'Has  this  young  lady  got  handsome  furniture.' 
answer  him,  '  Yes,  Sir  (a  shrug).  I  saw  a  good  bed,  a  conyenient  writ- 
ing-t(^ble,  a  beautiful  clock  on  the  chimney-piece,  and  the  floor  was  oar- 


iMMlnHMIH 


ii08 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


1 


*  un  tapis  dou^  au  parterre.  Ainsi  (shrug),  Monsieur,  voilA  tout  ce  au« 
'  j'ai  vu.  Monsieur,  je  m'en  retoume  a  ma  station.'  '  Eh  bien  I  fa  sunity 
'  commissionnaire  1  Bi  Vai  besoin  de  vous,  je  yous  ferai  demander.'  '  Je 
'  yous  remercie.    Bon  jour,  Monsieur'  (shrug).    Maintenant^  qnand  un 


*  dergel  seriez*vona  aesez  bon  pour  me  donner  le  nom  de  cette  grande 

*  dame  qui  yient  de  rentrer  toute  seule  l&f  Le  concierge  me  dit,  '  Maia 
'qu'est-ce  que  vous  voulez  faire  de  ce  nom-l&f    Je  lui  dis,  G'estua 

*  monsieur  qui  m'a  ohargd  la  commiBsion  de  savoir  le  nom  de  cette  de- 
'  moiselle-U  (oorreoting  Himself)^  de  cette  personne-ld,'— parceque  je  ne 
savais  pas  quelquefois  si  c'est  une  dame  ou  ime  demoiselle.  Le  concierge 
me  dit,  'Si  c'est  ainsi,  pour  vous  obliger,  je  vais  vous  le  donner.  Cest 
'  Mademoiselle  (un  tel).'  Moi  je  iais  une  honndtetd  au  concierge,  en  lui 
payant  (^ug)  uu  verre  de  vin. 

"  Alors  il  y  a  une  autre  question  que  je  vais  vous  expliquer.  Quand 
un  Monsieur  n  a  pas  confiauce  en  sa  lenmie,  il  la  ^ait  suivre  par  un  com- 
missimraaire,  quand  elle  est  all^e  se  promener  toute  seule.  Aiors  le  mon- 
sieur dit  au  commissionnaire, '  Suivez  cette  personne-ld,;  vous  me  direz  en 

*  d6tail  partout  06  elle  s'est  arr^t^e  ;  je  viendrai  prendre  la  r^ponse  k  votre 
'  station  ce  soir.'  Alors  je  dis  k  monsieur,  Monsieur,  Madam  s'est  arr^t^e 
'  rue— (shrug),  num^ro— (shrug).    Madame  est  rest^e  une  demi-heure  dans 

*  cette  maison-U ;  pendant  ce  temps-U  je  faisais  fiiction  en  &ce  la  porte- 


peted.  In  short  (shrugX  Sir,  I  have  told  you  all  I  saw.  Sir,  I  am  going 
Dack  to  my  station.'  ♦  Well  I  that  will  do,  Commissioner  I  If  I  want  you 
I  win  let  you  know.*  '  I  thank  you.  Good  day.  Sir '  (shrug).  Now, 
when  a  doorkeeper  refuses  to  tell  me  the  name  of  the  person  whom  I  de- 
scribe to  him — for  example,  a  tall  fair  lady  who  has  iust  come  in,  who 
has  crossed  over  to  the  back  of  the  courtyard,  to  the  staircase  on  the  right 
hand— I  say  to  the  doorkeeper,  '  Monsieur  doorkeeper  1  would  you  be  so 
good  as  to  tell  me  the  name  of  that  tall  lady  who  has  just  gone  in  there 
all  alone  ?'  The  doorkeeper  says  to  me,  '  But  what  do  you  want  with  her 
name  V  I  say  to  him,  '  It  is  a  gentleman  who  has  given  me  the  commis- 
sion to  learn  the  name  of  that  young  lady  (correcting  himself) — of  that 
person,  because  I  have  not  known  sometimes  whether  she  was  a  mamed 
or  an  unmarried  lady.  The  doorkeeper  says  to  me,  '  If  such  is  the  case, 
to  oblige  you,  I  will  tell  you.  She  is  Mademoiselle '  (such  a  one\  On 
my  part,  I  show  a  little  civility  to  the  doorkeeper,  by  giving  him  (shrug) 
a  glass  '>f  ^fine. 

"  Now  there  is  another  subject  which  I  will  explain  to  you.  When  a 
gentleman  has  no  confidence  in  his  wife,  he  employs  a  commissioner  to 
follow  her  when  she  goes  out  alone.  Then  the  gentleman  says  to  the  com- 
missioner, '  Follow  that  lady ;  you  must  tell  me  in  detail  every  place  where 
she  stops ;  I  shall  come  to  your  station  this  evening  for  an  answer.'    Then 

I  say  to  ihe  gentleman,  '  Sir,  Madame  stopped  in  (shrug) Street, 

Number (shnig).    Madame  remained  for  half  an  hour  in  that  house  * 

during  that  time  I  walked  up  and  down  opposite  the  carriage-gate  on  the 


i   / 


THE  COMMISSIONNAIBE. 


$09 


*  oochdre  de  Taubre  ctniA  de  la  mo,  pour  Mvoir  quand  elle  sortirait  do  cette 
'  rue-UL  Madame  a  dtd  au  magrasin  de  nouveautds,  rue — (shrug),  num^ro 
'  — .  De  U  Madame  a  montd  dans  une  voiture  citadine,  qu'elle  a  arr6t6e 
'  dans  le  rue  en  sortant  du  magasin  de  nouveaut^s.  Moi  j'ai  couru  de 
'  toutes  mes  jambes  pour  luivre  U  yoiture.    Madame  est  descendue  rue — 

*  (en  fin  viola),  numero  — .  Madame  a  renyoy6  la  voiture  aprds  avoir 
<  pay&    Madame  est  entree  dans  oette  maison-lA,  et  elle  y  restait  une 

*  neure  et  demie.     De  \k  sortio  do  cette  maison-Ul,  madame  est  all^e 

*  directement  chez  elle.    Madame  est  rentrde  &  cinq  heures  et  demie.    Je 

*  n'ai  vu  personne,  en  fait,  de  monsit'ur  qui  a  parlS  k  Madame.  •  Ainsi, 
'  Monsieur,  voiU  tous  les  renseignemonts  et  tous  les  details  que  je  peux 

ii^ourd'hui.'    Le  tnonsieur  me  dit, '  O'est  oien, 


*  vous  donner  (shrug)  pour  a  _ 

*■  commissionnaire ;  combien  vous  dois-je  V 


Je  dis, '  Monsieur,  vous  dtea 


'  assez  g^n^reux  pour  oomprendre  combien  que  9a  vaut  cette  commission- 

*  liL'    '  Voici,  commissionnaire,  deux  francs,    Etes-vous  content  V    '  Oui, 

*  Monsieur,  je  suis  content.'    '  Si  j'ai  besoin  de  vous  domain  je  vous  feral 

*  dire,  ou  j'irai  vous  dire  moi-mdme  &  votre  station.'    Je  lui  dis, '  Oui,  Mon- 

*  sieur  (shrug),  c'est  bien.    Je  vous  remercie ;  bon  jour,  Monsieur  (shrug), 

*  voiU'  (ehrug).    Le  lendemain  voild  le  monsieur  qui  arrive.    '  Dites  done, 
'  commissionnaire,  faitos-moi  la  m^me  commission  qu'hier, — ^vous  savez  ? 

*  Yenez  avec  moi ;  vous  vous  tiendrez  en  fiioe  de  ma  porte-cochdre ;  quand 
'  il  sortira  une  dame — une  petite  brune— elle  doit  sortir  dans  une  demi- 

*  heure ;  elle  a  \axQ  robe  de  soio  Ecossaise,  un  chapeau  vert,  et  mi  grand 
'  scfaal,  &  fond  bleu,  d,  flours  rougos — vous  suivrez  cette  dame  lii, ;  teuez- 

*  vous  &  une  distance,  im  peu  61oign6o,  que  cette  dame-U  ne  se  mifie  pas 


other  side  of  the  street,  in  order  to  know  when  she  would  leave  the  street 

Madame  went  to  the  warehouse  for  novelties, Street  (shrug),  Nimx- 

ber  ——.  From  thence  Madame  got  into  a  hackney  carriage,  which  she 
stopped  in  the  street  on  coming  out  of  the  warehouse.  As  for  me,  I  ran  as 
fast  as  my  legs  coxild  carry  me  to  follow  the  carriage.    Madame  got  out  of 

it  in Street,  say  Number  — — .    Madame  sent  away  the  carriage,  after 

having  paid  for  it  Madam  went  into  that  house,  where  she  remained  an 
hour  and  a  half  On  going  out  of  that  bouse,  Madame  went  straight  home. 
Madame  returned  home  at  half-past  five.    I  did  not  see  any  description  of 


you  are  generous  enough  to  comprehend  how  much  tbat  commiauon  is 
worth.'    '  Here,  Commissioner,  are  two  francs.    Are  you  satisfied  t'    '  Yes, 


701 
Sir,  I  am  satisfied.'  '  If  I  want  you  to-morrow,  I  will  let  you  know,  or  I 
will  go  to  your  station  myeelf.'  I  say  to  him,  *  Yery  well,  Sir  (shrug),  it  is 
all  right  I  thaiik  yoa  Good  day.  Sir'  (shrug).  Well  (shrug),  the  next 
morning  the  gentleman  arrives.  '  Tell  me,  Commissioner,  can  you  do  the 
same  commission  for  me  that  you  did  yesterday  ?  you  imderstand }  Come 
with  me;  you  will  keep  yourself  opposite  my  carriage-gate ;  when  a  lady 
comes  out — a  little  brunette — she  u  to  come  inhuf  an  hour;  she  has  a 
gown  of  Tartan  silk,  a  green  bonnet,  and  a  large  shawl,  with  a  blue  ground 
and  red  flower»— you  wUl  follow  hor.    Keep  your«<Blf  at  a  distM^o^  soixk9 


J 


210 


A  FAOOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


*  que  Youfl  la  suivez ;  rendez-moi  la  r^poose  bien  exacte ;  rous  me  direa 

*  partout  oik  elle  s'eat  arrdt^e,  le  nom  de  la  rue,  et  le  numdro  do  la  maison, 
dans  toutea  lea  maiaona  oil  elle  a'arrdtera.    Je  yiendrai  prendre  la  r^poose 

'  ici  &  votre  statioD  ce  aoir  &  (abrug)  aept  heurea.' 

"  Voil4  aept  heurea  arriv^ea.  '  Monaieur,  j'ai  fait  votre  oommiaaion  bien 
'  exactement  Madame  a'eat  arr^t^e  en  partant  de  la  maiaon  aur  le  boule- 
'  vart  diez  un  marchand  de  cbauaaurea.    Madame  a'eat  arrdt^e  quinze  mi- 

*  nutea ;  de  U  Madame  eat  allte  rue  — ,  num^ro— ;  Madame  eat  reat^e 
'  deux  heurea  dans  cette  maiaon«U ;  de  U  Madame  eat  aortie,  elle  eat  allde 
'  au  Jardin  dea  Tuileriea ;  Madame  a  cauad  uno  demi-heure  avec  un  mon- 
'  aieur,  trda  bien  mia,  pas  trop  grand,  un  brun ;  un  monaieur  qui  peut  avoir 
'  trente-huit  ana ;  ce  monaieur  porte  moustachea.  De  14  Madame  a  quittd 
'  ce  monaieur ;  elle  eat  rentr^e  &  la  maison  &  (ahrug)  aix  heurea  et  demie. 
'  VoiU  tout  le  trajet  que  Madame  a  fait  aujourdliul' 

"  Quelquefoia  une  dame  me  fait  ^galement  auivre  son  roari  que  je  con- 
nais ;  pour  que  ce  monaieur  ne  me  reconnaiaae  pas,  je  mliabille  en  hour- 
geoia  proprement  Mon  camarade,  en  face,  a  auivi  un  monaieur  pendant 
dix  Joura  a  six  frwica  par  jour :  dans  ces  dix  joura  11  n'a  pu  rien  decouvrir, 
ni  nen  eavoir  I 


As  soon  as  the  commissionnaire,  who,  excepting  to  draw 
breath,  had  never  once  stopped  for  a  single  moment,  had  con- 
cluded describing  to  me  in  his  own  wa^,  and  in  his  own  ex- 
traordinary words^  his  various  qualifications,  I  asked  him  why- 
he  wished  to  go  to  England.  He  replied  ne  could  not  now 
gain  his  bread. 


!\ 


way  off,  so  that  she  may  not  suspect  that  you  follow  her ;  bring  me  back 
a  very  exact  account ;  you  must  tell  me  wherever  ahe  haa  stopped,  the 
name  of  the  street,  and  the  number  of  the  houae,  of  all  the  houaea  where 
she  may  stop.  I  shall  come  and  get  your  answer  here  at  your  station  this 
evening  at  (shrug)  seven  o'clock.' 

"  It  is  now  seven  o'clock.  '  Sir,  I  have  done  your  commission  very 
exactly.  On  leaving  her  house,  Madame  stopped  on  the  Boulevard,  at  a 
shoemaker's  shop.     Madame  stayed  there  nrteen  minutes;  from  there 

Madame  went  to Street,  Number;  Madame  stayed  two  hours  in  that 

house ;  from  thence  Madame  came  out ;  she  went  to  the  Qarden  of  the 
Tuileries ;  MacUime  was  talking  there  for  half  an  hour  with  a  gentleman, 
well  dressed,  not  vei^  tall,  of  a  dark  complexion ;  a  gentleman  who  may 
be  about  eight-and-thirty ;  this  gentleman  wears  moustaches.  From  tiience 
Madame  parted  from  this  gentleman ;  she  returned  home  to  her  own  house 
at  (shrc^)  half-past  six.  This  is  all  the  tour  that  Madame  baa  made  to- 
day.' 

**  Sometimes  a  lady  in  the  same  way  makes  me  follow  her  huaband, 
whom  I  know.  In  order  that  this  gentleman  may  not  recognise  me,*I 
dreaa  myself  decently,  like  a  citizea  My  comrade,  opposite,  once  followed 
a  gentleman  for  ten  days,  at  the  rate  of  six  franca  a-day :  in  tiioae  ten 
days  he  was  not  able  to  discover  cr  find  out  any  thing  t "  ' 


Closi 
Jardin 


BALLS  AUX  VINS 


211 


^  Has  the  reyolution  prevented  people  from  sending  messa- 
ges ?"  I  observed,  rather  incredulously. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied^  "  on  ne  fait  rien.  Les  ohoses 
oheres  ne  s'achdtent  pas  k  present  I"  * 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  people  have  the  same  money  as  before— 
why  don't  they  spend  it  as  before  ?" 

"  Everybody,"  he  replied,  "  is  afraid  of  the  future.  Every- 
body is  economical ;  everybody  is  hiding,  hoarding,  or  saving 
his  money,  because  he  knows  that  affairs  cannot  continue  as 
they  are,  that  sooner  or  later  there  must  be  another  revolu- 
tion!" 

I  asked  him  whether,  generally  speaking,  the  commission- 
naires  of  Paris  were  now  as  well  off,  better  off,  or  worse  off, 
than  in  the  time  of  the  monarchy  % 

His  answer  was.  that  since  the  revolution  he  had  not  taken 
one-half  of  what  he  used  to  gain  in  the  time  of  Charles  X.  and 
Louis  Philippe. 

"  Why  have  you  not  ?"  said  I. 

The  Gommissionnaire's  reply  struck  me  very  forcibly : — 

"  Monsieur,"  said  he,  "  parce  qu'il  n'y  a  pas  de  luxe  I" 
After  a  short  pause  he  added,  "Le  luxe  o'est  la  plus  belle 
branche  du  commerce-^'est  ce  qui  fait  sortir  I'argent.  Les 
ohoses  cheres  ne  s'achdtent  pas  ^  present  parce  qu'il  n'y  a  pas 
de  luxe  !"t  He  then  explained  m  very  good  language  that 
the  poor  lived  by  the  luxury  of  the  rich,  and  that  when  artifi- 
cial wants  were  discouraged  the  receipts  of  the  commission- 
naire  were  proportionately  diminished.  In  short,  he  merely 
explained  to  me  what  two  or  three  bloody  revolutions,  ending 
in  a  republic,  had  practically  expounded  to  him. 


•  •• 


HALLE  AUX  VINS. 


Close  to  the  Seine,  and  to  the  "  He  St.  Louis,"  adjoining  the 
Jardins des  Plantes,  and  opposite  the  " Port  Aux  vins,"  there 

*  Sii*,  nothing  is  ^oing  on.    At  present  nobody  buys  expensive  things. 

f  Because  there  is  no  luxury.  Luxury  is  the  finest  branch  of  com- 
merce. It  is  what  causes  money  to  move.  Expensive  things  are  nol 
purchased  now,  because  there  is  no  luxury. 


tu 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


eKists,  on  the  site  of  the  celebrated  abbey  of  St.  Yiotoire,  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  its  own  wall,  and  on  the  side  look- 
ing upon  the  Seine  by  iron  railings,  a  little  oity,  more  than  a 
Siuarter  of  a  mile  long  by  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad, 
ounded  by  Napoleon  in  1813,  and  since  finished,  for  the  wel- 
come reception  in  Paris — the  merry  heart  of  France — of  about 
five  hundred  thousand  casks  of  wine. 

On  entering  a  large  gate  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  iron 
railings,  I  saw  running  straight  before  me  a  paved  road,  and  at 
right  angles  to  it,  and  consequently  parallel  to  the  Seine, 
another  one  equally  broad.  On  the  left,  close  to  the  entrance- 
gate,  was  the  great  Govemment  bureau,  besides  which,  in  the 
space  between  the  railings  and  the  pave,  and  also  along  that  at 
right  angles  to  it,  I  beheld,  shaded  by  a  triple  row  of  trees,  an 
innumerable  quantity  of  little  wooden,  zinc-covered  offices,  of 
various  colours,  teeming  with  windows  looking  all  ways  at  onco, 
each. belonging  to  a  wine  or  spirit  merchant,  whose  name  wad 
painted  thereon.  On  the  side  next  the  Seine  there  were  no  less 
than  99  of  these  little  shanties,  to  each  of  which  was  attached 
a  tiny  garden.  The  interior  of  this  immense  space,  nearly 
surrounded  by  trees,  is  principally  composed  of  rectangular 
blocks  of  low  buildings,  divided  into  broad  streets  or  boulevards, 
also  shaded  by  trees,  appropriately  designated  by  names  suited 
to  every  palate,  and,  indeed,  almost  sufficient  to  make  a  per- 
son's mouui  water  to  read  or  even  write,  namely,-— 

1.  Bue  de  Ohampagne. 

2.  Rue  de  Burgogne. 

3.  Rue  de  Bordeaux. 

4.  Rue  de  Xanguedoo.  ^ 

5.  Rue  de  la  C6te  d'Or. 

As  a  certain  animal  is  recorded  to  have  stood  starving  be- 
tween two  bundles  of  hay,  so,  with  so  many  delicious  streets 
before  me,  I  hesitated  for  some  time  as  to  which  I  ought  first 
to  enter ;  at  last  I  .determined  to  engage  as  my  conductor  a 
man  in  a  blouse,  who  happened  to  be  standing  near  me,  and, 
committing  myself  entirely  to  his  guidance,  we  entered  the 
ftue  de  Bordeaux,  a  fine,  handsome  paved  street,  sixty-six  feet 
broad,  bounded  on  each  side,  first  by  a  double  row  of  oaks  and 
borse-chesnut  trees,  and  then  by  a  row  of  long,  low,  substantial 
stone  buildings,  divided  into  seven  aroh-doored  vaulted  com- 
partments.   In  this  fitreet  not  a  cab,  a  hackney-coach,  a  carriage, 


HALLE  AVX  VIKS. 


213 


person  on  horseback,  a  clcrf:rj;^man,  gentleman  or  lady,  on  foot, 
were  to  be  seen ;  but  along  its  whole  length  there  were,  as 
might  naturally  \)c  expecterl,  arranged  twelve  rows  of  casks, 
full  of  a  bright  rea  fluid,  in  many  instances  like  a  blush  on  the 
human  cheek,  to  be  seen  oozing  through  and  sufinsing  the 
staves. 

Over  every  arched  door  there  was  written  upon  the  white- 
washed stones,  in  letters  of  black,  the  name  of  the  wine  mer- 
chant to  whom  it  belonged.  On  entering  one,  instead  of 
being  asked  what  I  wanted,  I  was  with  the  utmost  kindness 
invited  by  the  master,  who  then  immediately  walked  away, 
to  remain  in  it  as  long  as  I  liked.  In  various  directions  I 
heard,  in  utter  darkness,  little,  refreshing,  trickling,  guggling 
noises ;  and  as  I  stood  listening  to  them  I  indistinctly, — by 
the  faint  light  of  a  tallow  candle,  affixed  here  and  there  to  a 
tin  slide,  stuck  sometimes  into  the  head  of  a  barrel,  and  some- 
times into  its  ribs  or  hoops, — ^perceived  human  fingers  in  mo- 
tion, amidst  seven  piles,  one  above  another,  of  barrels  enjoy- 
ing absolute  rest.  On  coming  out  in  several  directions  were 
to  be  seen  a  man  or  two  rolling  a  barrel  towards  a  one-horse 
dray. 

In  the  Hue  de  Champagne,  each  side  of  which,  shaded  by 
trees,  was  divided  into  fourteen  lofty  vaulted  cellars  above 
ground,  similar  to  those  just  described,  the  street  was  nearly 
full  of  men  hammering  and  hooping  up  barrels.  From  the 
centre  of  this  street  I  entered  a  subterranean  cave  or  gallery 
of  only  ten  yards  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ! — containing 
cellars  on  each  side.  On  the  floor  of  this  dark-arched  alley, 
intersected  in  the  centre  by  one  at  right  angles  of  similar 
length,  I  observed  a  pair  of  wooden  rails,  along  which  men  in 
white  tucked-up  shirt-sleeves  were  rolling  carsks  of  wine ;  here 
and  there  in  the  arched  roof  was  a  small  square  hole,  through 
which  streamed  a  corresponding  patch  of  sunshine,  illuminat- 
ing the  ground  beneath.  I  purposely  trod  on  one  of  these 
and  instantly  my  boot,  which  I  had  not  seen  for  some  minutes, 
became  visible. 

In  one  part  I  heard  a  violent  hammering,  and  on  arriving 
at  the  point  from  which  it  was  proceeding,  I  found  men  on 
both  sides  of  the  rails  occupied  by  candlelight  in  belabouring 
the  convex  surfaces  of  empty  casks,  until  each  bung,  as  if  it 
could  stand  the  din  of  war  no  longer,  begun  first  to  loosen, 


^ 


214 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


and  at  last  almost  to  jump  out,  which  was  the  object  desired. 
Within  the  cellars,  as  I  passed  them,  I  occasionally  caught 
glimpses  of  men  tapping  casks  with  syphons.  On  arriving 
into  the  open  air,  we  ascended  by  a  flight  of  broad  stone  steps 
to  a  series  of  magazines  for  spirits,  built  of  hollow  bricks,  of 
the  san^p  enormous  size ;  indeed,  after  I  had  been  for  some 
time  walking  through  the  long  galleries  I  have  described,  I 
fancied  as  I  passed  the  casks  which  were  being  emptied  of  their 
contents  that  I  felt  almost  gidd^. 

After  taking  leave  of  the  spirit  department,  we  proceeded 
to  a  large  long  shed  close  to  the  great  south  surrounding  wall 
of  the  establishment  for  measuring  the  exact  quantity  of 
brandy  contained  in  each  butt.  For  this  purpose,  on  a  plat- 
form about  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  were  ranged  in  a  row 
twenty  large  open  copper  vats  ;  above  them  was  a  small  rail- 
way, upon  which  the  barrels  to  be  tested,  hoisted  by  a  crane, 
were  rolled  along,  until  each  was  exactly  over  the  copper  vat, 
into  which  its  contents  were  to  be  decanted ;  the  bung  was 
then  extracted,  and  the  ardent  spirit  rushing  out  was  accu- 
rately gauged  by  a  glass  tube  and  brass  scale  outside  the  vat ; 
by  the  turning  of  a  large  cock  in  the  bottom  of  the  vat,  by  a 
lecond  transmigration  it  again  rushed  back  to  the  butt  from 
which  it  had  >just  departed,  and  which,  during  the  time  of  its 
measurement,  had  been  lowered  beneath  to  receive  it.  The 
exact  contents  of  each  cask  were  then  officially  marked  upon 
it  in  red  by  gentlemen  inhabiting  a  bureau  or  office  in  the 
middle  of  the  twenty  vats,  in  front  of  which  were  lying,  wait- 
ing to  be  gauged,  several  rows  of  large  butts  of  spirits. 

I  was  now  conducted  into  an  upper  gallery,  containing  a 
series  of  cellars  on  each  side,  such  as  I  have  described,  full  of 
casks  of  wine  of  all  descriptions.  The  odour  was  so  strong, 
that,  as  my  guide  in  his  wooden  shoes  clattered  along  at  my 
side,  we  often,  I  observed,  were  slightly  disposed  to  reel 
against  each  other.  Sometimes  my  hair  and  clothes  smelt 
of  brandy ;  sometimes  as  a  whiff  of  claret  passed  me  I  tossed 
up  my  head  and  thought  for  the  moment  of  "  absent  friends," 
—a  younger  man  would  probably  have  put  it  "Sweethearts 
and  wives," — in  short,  by  the  time  I  had  visited  the' contents 
of  the  Rue  de  Champagne,  de  Bourgogne,  de  Bordeaux,  de 
Languedoc,  and  de  la  Cdte-d'Or,  I  felt  that  by  highways  and 
byways  there  had  reached  me  rather  more  wine  and  brandy 


for 


HALLS  AUX  VMS. 


215 


than  I  had  desired  and  yet  my  guide  assured  me  that  out  of 
Paris  at  the  Fort  de  Verois  on  the  Seine,  there  are  magazines 
of  wine  containing  more  than  three  times  as  much  as  in  the 
whole  of  the  cellars  around  us.  How  truly  therefore  may 
every  inhabitant  of  Paris  sing,  in  the  air  of  "  Vive  Henri 
Quatre," 

"  J'aimons  le  bon  vin  I"  * 

At  the  west  end  of  the  establishment  I  found  ranged  in  a 
row,  and  shaded  by  trees,  twenty-three  little  wooden  offices,  of 
various  colours,  belonging  to  different  wine-merchants,  also  six 
large  offices  for  "  sappeurs,  pompeurs,"  &o. 

In  my  progress  through  the  various  streets  and  cellars  I 
have  described  I  did  not  see  a  single  drunken  or  even  intem- 
perate-looking man,  and  all  (it  was  on  a  Monday)  wore  clean 
shirts. 

As  I  had  now  gone  through  the  interior  of  the  Halle  aux 
Vins,  I  walked  through  the  shaded  Rue  de  Champagne,  to  the 
bureaux  of  the  Government,  situated  close  to  the  great  gate  by 
which  I  had  entered.  These  offices,  by  notices  over  their  re- 
spective doors,  are  described  as  follows : — "  Conservation," 
"  Inspection,"  "  Contrdles  et  Comptes  G6n6raux,"  "  Declara- 
tion de  sortir  pour  Paris,"  "Recette  de  l'Ootroi!"t  above 
them  is  a  story  inhabited  by  the  "  employes"  of  the  dep9,rt- 
ment.  As  I  wished  to  speak  to  the  "  Conservateur,"  %  I  asked 
one  of  the  porters  in  attendance  if  he  was  at  home.  The 
moment  I  opened  my  mouth  I  perceived  the  old  man's  coun- 
tenance gradually  to  lower,  until  at  last  out  it  came — head 
over  heels — that  he  had  been  eight  years  in  the  English  prison 
of  Vorismooth"  Poor  fellow  !  the  recollection  of  it  naturally 
enough  haunted  him ;  but  as  he  talked  to  me  a  little  sulkily 
on  the  subject,  I  submitted  to  |)im  that  he  had  only  suffered 
one  of  the  numerous  evils  which  his  "  Empereur"  had  without 
mercy  inflicted  upon  the  whole  of  Europe.  The  old  porter 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  his  countenance  relaxed,  and  we  ended 
by  a  joyous  talk  together  about  war  and  wine. 

As  fast  as  the  one-horse  carts,  heavily  laden  with  wine, 

*  I  love  good  vrine. 

f  Geneml  manngement,  Inspection,  Accountant's  office,  Dedaravon 
for  Paris,  Receipt  of  Duty. 
X  Principal  j:uannger. 


216 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


oontiniied  entering  the  gate,  they  were  severally  stopped  by 
two  officials  in  blouses,  who — one  on  each  side — walking  for-; 
ward,  struck  a  gimlet  into  whichever  barrel  he  fancied,  ex- 
tracted the  instrument,  held  a  small  pewter  dish  beneath  the 
tiny  hole  it  had  made,  caught  a  little  of  its  contents,  stuck  a  , 
peg  into  the  hole,  hammered  it,  broke  it  off,  gave  it  a  tap, 
tasted  the  wine,  spit  it  out  on  the  pavement,  which  was  quite 
red  with  the  operation,  and  then  made  a  signal  to  the  carman 
to  drive  on. 

As  wines  entering  the  Halle  aux  Vins  do  not  pay  the  oo-. 
troi,  the  object  of  this  analysis  is  merely  to  ascertain  and  re- 
cord the  description  of  fluid  contained  in  each  cask ;  but  on 
my  proceeding  to  the  gate  at  which  the  wine  goes  out^  and  at 
which  the  octroi  is  levied,  I  found  the  operation  conducted 
with  greater  accuracy. 

The  three  tasters  there  had  in  front  of  their  blouses  a  small 
pocket  like  that  in  a  lady's  apron  full  of  little  white  pegs,^.^ 
the  ends  of  one  of  which  next  for  duty  were  almost  constantly, 
to  be  seen  protruding  from  their  three  mouths.  Every  day 
there  pass  them  about  fifteen  hundred  barrels,  every  one  of 
which  has  to  be  tasted.  As  soon  therefore  as  a  cartload  ar- 
rives, each  of  these  men,  walking  quickly  up  to  it,  stabs  a  bar- 
rel from  which  usually  there  instantly — ^like  what  is  called 
breathing  a  vein — spirted  out  a  red  stream,  flowing  sometimes 
vigorously,  sometimes  feebly,  and  sometimes  so  indolently  that 
it  merely  trickled  down  the  cask,  in  which  case  he  pushed  in  a 
long  wire,  on  extracting  which,  the  wine  flowed  in  a  stream. 

The  tasters  are  not  only  apparently  steady,  sober  men,  but 
I  observed  they  had  particularly  clear  complexions. 

While  one  of  them  was  very  busily  labouring  at  his  voca- 
tion, I  ventured  to  ask  him  what  was  the  amount  of  duty 
which  wine  paid  on  leaving  the  "  Halle"  to  go  into  Paris.  In- 
stead of  being  angry  with  me  for  bothering  him,  the  man,  with 
a  kind  countenance  and  with  great  politeness,  after  spitting' 
out  half  a  mouthful  of  Bur^ndy  on  the  pavement. between 
us,  told  me  that  whatever  might  be  the  quality,  good,  bad,  or 
indifferent,  the  octroi  was  at  the  rate  of  twenty-one  francs  for 
100  litres. 

On  going  out  of  the  gate  of  the  Halle  aux  Vins,  open  to  the 
public  from  six  to  six  in  summer,  and  from  seven  to  five  in 
winter,  I  found  on  the  banks  of  the  whole  of  that  portion  of 


W 


VERSAILLES. 


217 


tlio  Seine  which  bounds  it  on  the  north,  a  bcaoh  or  paved  in> 
clined  plane,  sixty  yards  broad,  on  which  were  lying  in  groups 
barrels  of  wine  that  had  just  been  disembarked.  Beyond 
them  in  the  river  were  moored  four  barges  laden  with  wine ; 
and  as  I  had  now  seen  all  that  I  or  that  Bacchus  himself  could 
have  desired,  I  told  my  friend  in  his  blouse  and  wooden  shoes 
I  was  much  obliged  to  him,  and,  suiting  my  action  to  my  word, 
I  made  him  a  little  present. 

"  Gomme  qa,  mon  garqon,"  said  he,  holding  out  his  hand  to 
me  that  I  might  shake  it,  which  I  did  very  cordially. 

"  . . .  Je  vous  remerole !"  *  and  so  we  parted. 


•  •• 


VERSAILLES. 


It  was  Sunday,  and  not  only  Sunday,  but  it  was  the  Sunday 
which,  in  the  chain  of  Time,  followed  the  Sunday  on  which 
there  had  been  the  great  Sunday  f^te  in  celebration  of  the  Re- 
public, I  had  therefore  concluded  that  it  would  be  a  day  of 
rest,  instead  of  which  I  found  myself  between  Scylla  and 
Charybdis ; — that  is  to  say,  I  was  to  choose  whether  I  would 
remain  in  Paris,  to  be  hurried  with  the  crowd  to  see  a  magni- 
ficent boat-race,  which  by  the  inundation  of  the  Seine  had  not 
been  able  to  come  off  on  Sunday  last,  or  whether  I  would  go  with 
another  crowd  to  a  f6te  at  Versailles.  Of  the  two  evils  I 
thought  the  latter  was  the  least,  and  therefore,  after  church, 
I  walked  to  the  Versailles  railway-station,  took  a  first-class 
ticket,  and  having,  as  it  were,  got  into  the  mouth  of  a  funnel, 
I  found  myself  without  the  slightest  mental  anxiety  gently 
pressed  and  pushed  out  of  the  little  end  into  a  narrow  passage, 
which  I  had  scarcely  entered  when  my  "  bright  course  to  the 
Occident"  was  suddenly  checked  by  two  gentlemen  in  reddish- 
brown  coats,  with  scarlet  collars,  scarlet  edging,  and  scarlet 
stripes  down  their  trowsers  (the  colour  of  the  latter  I  really 
had  not  time  to  disoover),  who  politely  asked  me  for  my  tioket, 
tore  a  piece  off  it,  and  then  giving  me  the  remainder,  pointed 


*  "Well,  my  boy  . 
10 


I  thank  you  t 


818 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENOH  STICKS. 


to  tlie  one  of  the  three  large  public  rooms  for  first,  second,  and 
third  class  passengers,  \7h1ch  I  was  authorized  to  enter. 

The  two  latter  waiting-rooms  were  nearly  full  of  persons  so 
-respcctablv  dressed,  that  but  a  very  slight  shade  of  difference 
could  be  detected  between  them  and  the  aristocratic  chamber 
in  which  I  had  scarcely  time  to  ruminate,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
a  large  double  sliding  door  on  my  right  was  rolled  open,  and, 
like  the  lifting  of  a  curtain  at  a  theatre,  were  to  be  seen  on  the 
wooden  stage  before  us  a  number  of  officials  in  uniform  in  front 
of  a  long  train  of  railway  carriages,  headed  by  a  gUtter^*ng 
engine  all  hot,  hissing,  ready,  and  anxious  to  be  off. 

As  soon  as  the  inmates  of  waiting-room  No.  1 — thus  enjoy- 
ing the  precedence  they  had  purchased — ^had  left  their  hand- 
some chamber,  a  door  communicating  from  it  with  the  waiting- 
room  No.  2  was  unbolted,  and  a  loud  trampling  of  great  feet 
and  little  ones,  of  thick  shoes  and  thin  ones,  through  No.  1, 
and  then  along  the  platform,  had  scarcely  subsided,  when,  by 
the  withdrawal  of  a  similar  bolt  in  a  similar  door  in  the  parti- 
tion between  waiting-rooms  Nos.  2  and  3,  the  latter  room,  No.  2, 
having  been  also  trapped,  another  rush  of  feet,  of  both  sexes 
and  of  all  ages,  walking,  trotting,  and  cantering,  passed  through 
Kos.  2  and  1,  and  along  the  platform,  until,  the  whole  of  the 
passengers  haying,  under  t'ue  direction  of  three  officers  wearing 
scarlet  collars  richly  embroidered  (one  of  them  I  observed  had 
on  his  breast  the  crimson  riband  of  the  Legion  of  Honour), 
taken  their  seats,  a  little  flag,  the  emblem  of  liberty,  fraternity, 
and  equality,  was  slightly  waved,  the  engine  shrieked,  gave  a 
violent  plunge,  which  made  the  heads  of  all  passengers  sitting 
towards  it  nod  backwards,  and  the  heads  of  those  seated  with 
their  backs  to  it  nod  forwards,  then  a  smaller  one,  after  which, 
like  a  boat  pushed  from  rough  shingle  into  deep  water,  the 
train  glided  along,  comparatively  speaking,  as  smootMy  as  if 
its  rails  had  been  oiled.  i 

Previous  to  starting  I  asked  the  superintendent  why  the 
first,  second,  and  third  class  passengers  had  been  cooped  up  in 
different  waiting-rooms,  instead  of  being  allowed,  as  in  England, 
to  roam  about  the  platform,  and  take  their  own  places  in  their 
own  way  % 

"  If,"  said  he,  "  they  were  permitted  ty  congregate  on  the 
platform,  they  would  never  take  their  places." 

"  What  then,  would  they  do?"  I  asked. 


0?. 


1 1 
% 


V 


VERSAILLES. 


219 


le 


"  Trt/^,"  he  replied,  "  and  the  train  would  go  off  without 
them!" 

In  the  carriage  in  which  to  my  great  satisfaction  I  found 
myself,  by  myself,  was  appended  a  list  of  commandments  I  was 
especially  directed  not  to  break.  I  was  not  to  enter  without  a 
ticket,  or  remain  in  it  with  a  wrong  ticket :  I  was  not  to  smoke 
in  it :  I  was  not  to  jump  out  of  it  while  it  was  in  motion,  or  get  out 
of  it  except  by  the  door  next  to  the  station :  I  was  not  on  any 
account  to  lie  at  full  length  on  the  cushion :  lastly,  I  was  not 
to  do,  or  carry  with  me,  anything  hurtful  or  disagreeable  to 
other  passengers. 

As  Paris  has  no  suburbs,  we  were  almost  immediately  in  the 
open  country,  and,  as  I  glided  along,  I  soon  perceived  that  the 
non-observance  of  the  Sabbath  was  not  confined  to  the  metro- 
polis from  which  I  was  flying,  or  to  Versailles,  to  which  I  was 
proceeding,  for  in  the  fields  and  nursery-gardens  through  which 
we  flitted  we  not  onljr  passed  several  carts  at  work,  but  I  saw 
on  the  roof  of  a  white  house  as  I  rapidly  glided  close  to  it, 
several  men  employed  in  covering  it  with  red  tiles. 

Between  the  countenances  of  a  Frenchman  and  of  an  Eng- 
lishman there  exists  only  a  trifling  difference,  but  between  the 
faces  of  France  and  Great  Britain,  said  I  to  myself,  there  is 
no  resemblance  whatever ! 

The  country  was  divided  into  little  patches  and  long  strips, 
in  which  nothing  seemed  to  grow  as  it  was  growing  in  Eng- 
land ;  besides  which,  there  were  small  vineyards  so  full  of  lit- 
tle sticks, — in  fact,  displaying  so  much  moire  dry  wood  than 
green  leaves, — that  one  might  have  fancied  they  were  intended 
to  grow  barrels  as  well  as  wine.  Excepting  a  young  railway 
hedge  close  to  Paris,  and  that  a  lath  barrier,  hardly  strong 
enough  to  keep  out  chickens,  nowhere  in  any  direction,  was  a 
fence  of  any  sort  to  be  seen.  Even  the  roads,  which,  except- 
ing the  great  pav6,  all  appeared  as  crooked  as  if  they  had 
been  traced  by  a  tipsy  surveyor,  were  so  destitute  of  boundary 
of  any  description  whatever,  that,  on  riding  fast  along  them  on 
a  shying  horse,  a  man  would  inevitably  sometimes  find  himself 
galloping  across  a  bed  of  spinach,  sometimes  through  a  row  of 
peas,  and  sometimes  over  young  asparagus,  kidney  beans,  early 
rye,  &c.  In  the  iinmense  plain  nothing  was  conspicuous  but  the 
acropolis  of  Montmartre.  Every  now  and  then  there  flitted 
before  my  eyes,  as  if  it  were  a  living  milestone  or  direction 


220 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRFNCE  STICKS. 


post,  the  figure  of  a  railway  guardian  dressed  in  a  blouse  with 
a  scarlet  collar,  with  a  scarlet  stripe  down  the  legs  of  his  blue 
trowsers,  and  with  a  hairy  old  cloak  of  deer-skin  hanging  neg- 
ligently but  picturesquely  on  his  shoulders.  As  the  train 
rushed  past  him,  his  right  hand,  with  its  fingers  extended,  was 
invariably  placed  flat  on  his  heart,  and  the  forefinger  of  the 
other  extended  arm  pointing  to  us, — ^upon  his  honour, — the 
way  we  were  to  go. 

As  we  flew  along,  here  and  there  I  saw  labouring  in  the 
fields  one  or  two  women,  in  carnation-coloured  bonnets,  with 
lappets  of  the  same  covering  their  necks.  The  houses  were 
mostly  white  with  green  Venetian  blinds.  The  station  men 
were  dressed  in  blouses  of  a  beautiful  blue  with  crimson  col< 
lars.  Their  whistles  had  silver  chains.  Their  caps  black 
peaks  edged  with  brass. 

The  four  leagues  we  had  to  travel  were  very  soon  accom- 
plished, and  accordingly,  almost  before  I  had  begun  to  enjoy 
my  journey  it  was  over,  and  I  found  myself  walking  among  a 
dense  well-behaved,  well-dressed  crowd,  all  going  I  knew  not 
where,  to  see  I  knew  not  what;  for  although  I  had  heard  over  and 
over  again  there  was  to  be  a  "  f^te"  and  had  come  to  witness  it,  of 
how  many  dishes,  or  of  what  description  of  cookery,  it  was  to 
be  composed,  I  had  totally  neglected  to  inquire  ;  indeed,  as  I 
was  sure  I  should  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  repast,  what- 
ever it  was  made  out  of,  1  d'd  not  even  care  to  know. 

Nearly  forty  years  ago  I  had  been  quartered  for  a  few  days  at 
Versailles,  but  it  or  I  was  so  altered ;  it  recollected  so  little 
of  me  or  I  of  it ;  that,  as  I  walked  in  procession  up  its  streets, 
I  could  recognise  nothing  I  had  ever  seen  before.  The  shops 
were  all  open,  and,  as  nobody  within  them  appeared  to  take 
the  slightest  notice  of  the  ascending  crowd  of  which  I  was  an 
atom,  it  was  evident  to  me  that  the  arrival  of  a  flock  of  visit- 
ors from  Paris  on  Sunday  was  an  object  of  very  common  oc- 
currence. 

After  crossing  a  square  we  at  last  reached  the  limit  of  the 
upper  portion  of  the  town,  and  I  was  intently  looking  over  a 
moving  mass  of  hats,  parasols,  and  beautiful  bonnets,  at  the 
wild,  magnificent  glimpse  I  caught  of  the  palace,  w^en  I  found 
a  considerable  portion  of  my  companions  turn -ig  «o  the  left, 
through  some  splendid  iron  gates,  over  which  were  inscribed, 
on  a  temporary  board,  in  very  large  letters—  « 


versailles. 

"republique  francaise. 
c0nc0ur8  national 
d'animaux  reproducteurs 

Males, 
©'instruments,  machines, 
et  produits  agricoles."* 


221 


Immediately  within  the  gate  sat  a  man  with  an  immense 
pile  of  pamphlets  before  him,  and,  as  everybody  seemed  to 
take  one,  when  I  reached  the  table  I  took  one  up  too.  In  do- 
ing so,  as  a  matter  of  course,  I  rapidly  ejaculated  the  word 
stereotyped  in  the  mind  of  every  English  traveller,  and  whi6h 
of  its  own  accord  comes  out  of  his  mouth  whenever,  wherever, 
and  by  whomsoever  he  is  stopped,  "  Combien  ?"t 

Without  even  raising  his  eyes  to  look  at  me,  and  yet 
slightly  bowing  to  his  own  table,  the  man  replied,  "  Rien  h 
payer,  Monsieur  !"|  and  I  thus  found  myself  the  proprietor 
of  a  large  well-printed  pamphlet  of  seventy-nine  pages,  con- 
taining the  regulations  and  contents  of  the  national  show 
which  all  of  a  sudden  I  found  myself  gratuitously  invited  to 
witness. 

It  appears  that  on  the  22nd  of  January  of  the  present 
year  (1851)  the  minister  of  agriculture  and  of  commerce,  in 
concurrence  with 'the  report  of  a  commission  authorized  to  in- 
quire into  the  subject,  ordered — 

1.  That  a  public  exposition  of  male  animals  (d'animauz 
reproducteurs  mftles)  shall  take  place  every  year  at  Versailles, 
under  the  direction  of  the  National  Agronomic  Institution. 

2.  That  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  establishment 
there  shall  be  every  year  an  exposition,  also  public,  of  instru- 
ments, machines,  implements  and  apparatus  for  the  use  of  ag- 
ricultural industry. 

3.  An  exposition  of  the  different  products  of  agriculture 
or  of  agricultural  industry. 

The  railings  I  had  entered,  the  large  open  space  in  which 


/% 


I 


*  FRENCH  REPUBLIC. 
NATIONAL  CONGREGATION 
OF  REPRODUCING  ANIMATES 

MALES, 

OF  INSTRUMENTS,  MACHINES, 

AND  AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCE. 

I  How  much?  t  Nothing  to  pay,  Sir! 


222 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


I  stood,  and  the  magnificent  buildings  around  me,  formed  the 
northern  half  of  what  were  formerly  the  royal  stables  of  the 
palaoe  to  which  they  still  belong.  The  other  half,  also  enclos- 
ed by  similar  lofty  iron  railings,  the  tops  of  which  are  gilt,  and 
which,  on  the  other  side  of  the  "  Avenue  de  Paris,"  forms  a 
corresponding  set  of  stables,  are  now  occupied  by  troops. 

Following  a  crowd  of  people,  each  of  whom,  besides  a  stick, 
umbrella,  or  parasol,  had  the  large  white  pamphlet  in  hand,  I 
entered  a  magnificent  arched  stable  210  feet  long,  as  high  as  a 
church,  the  walls  coloured  yellow,  the  floor  covered  with  bright 
yellow  sand,  the  lofty  windows  all  open.  On  a  litter  of  straw, 
as  white  and  clean  as  if  it  had  been  just  thrashed,  and  bound- 
ed by  an  exceedingly  neat  platted,  border  of  straw,  a  yard 
broad,  there  lay  in  line  throughout  the  whole  length  of  this 
once  royal  and  now  republican  stable — in  the  full  enjoyment 
of  Liberty,  Fraternity,  and  Equality — seventy  six  bulls,  so  fat 
and  so  full  that  they  were  evidently  careless  not  only  of  the  nume- 
rous human  eyes  gazing  at  them,  but  of  the  heap  of  loose,  coarse, 
fresh  hay  lying  before  them,  close  to  the  wall  to  which  their 
long  halters  were  affixed ;  in  fact,  they  cared  for  nothing  and 
for  nobody.  Everybody,  however,  appeared  to  care  a  great 
deal  about  them  ;  and  as  moreover  everybody — ladies  and  all 
— appeared  first  of  all  to  look  at  a  bull  and  then  very  inquisi- 
tively into  the  pamphlet  for  his  history,  I  of  course  did  the 
9ame. 

My  eyes  rested  on  a  red  and  white  one  my  book  told  me 
was  called  "  Vert-galant ;"  that  he  was  of  the  Durham  breed 
"race;"  that  his  "father"  was  Vespucius;  his  "mother" 
Martinette;  that  his  great-great-great-great-great-great-great- 
grandmother,  by  Favourite,  had  been  sold  for  one  thousand 
guineas  at  the  sale  of  Charles  Colling,  in  1810;  and  finally 
that  by  his  father,  the  son  of  Europa,  he  belonged  to  a  family 
of  remarkable  milkers,  "  une  famille  de  laitieres  remarquables." 
Another  Durham  bull,  called  "  Ya-de-bon-coeur,"  was  the  son 
of  "  Willy,  par  Young  Wellington,  par  Sir  Thomas."  His 
great-great-great-great-great-great  grandmother  had — the  book 
said— been  a  cow  of  excellent  character.  The  bull  "  Canning," 
who  lay  chewing  his  cud  all  the  time  I  was  looking  at  him,  had, 
I  found,  a  pedigree  as  bright  as  his  eyes,  and  almost  as  long 
as  his  tail.  After  remaining  for  some  time  in  this  magnificent 
stable,  in  which  not  the  slightest  odour  of  bulls  or  of  anything 


VERSAILLES. 


228 


disagreeable  was  perceptible,  I  wandered  w  the  crowd  into 
a  very  spacious  yard,  full  of  ploughs,  implements,  instruments, 
and  agricultural  inventions  of  isvory  sort. 

Among  the  latter  there  stood,  performing  the  double  duty 
of  a  scarecrow  and  a  weather-oock,  the  figure  of  a  stout  man, 
seven  feet  high,  wearing  green  gloves,  a  blouse,  a  black  glazed 
hat,  an  immense  black  beard,  with  long  curling  mustachios ; 
and  although  the  very  sisht  of  such  a  being  would  be  sufficient, 
one  would  conceive,  to  throw  a  cock-sparrow  or  robin-redbreast 
at  once  into  hysterics,  the  follow,  as  he  kept  turning  with 
the  wind,  presented  a  gun  which,  by  machinery,  exploded  at 
intervals. 

There  were  winnowing  machines,  scarifying  machines,  "  ez- 
tirpateurs,"  carts,  waggons,  machines  for  brick-making,  tile- 
making,  and  for  the  construction  of  draining  pipes.  Also  new 
inventions  of  harness,  with  one  of  collars  for  heavy  draft  which 
appeared  very  likely  to  answer. 

I  next  visited  a  yard  in  which  were  standing  126  rams, 
horned  and  hornless.  The  first  on  the  list,  a  powerful  white 
ram  called  "  llobert  Peel,"  was  the  son  of  a  ram  which  for  the 
sum  of  355  francs  had  been  purchased  by  "  M.  le  Dirccteur  de 
la  Colonic  de  P^tit-Bourg."  The  genealogy,  which  I  could 
not  understand,  of  another  personage,  whose  crumpled  horns 
had  attracted  my  attention,  was  described  as  follows : — ^"  Oe 
belier  appartient  &  la  sous-race  cr66e  k  la  Gharmolse  par  la 
reunion  du  sang  New-Kent,  du  c6t6  des  p^res,  et  des  sangs 
solognots,  berriohons,  tourangeaux,  et  merinos  par  les  meres."* 
Id  another  compartment  I  found  a  quantity  of  boars,  so  dread- 
fully fat,  that  as  they  lay  on  the  ground  on  their  sides,  with 
their  upper  legs  sticking  out  as  helplessly  as  if  they  had  been 
frozen,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  any  one  to  succeed  in 
making  them  exert  themselves  enough  even  to  wink.  I  pulled 
at  one  of  the  ears  of  the  son  of  ''  Wiley  et  Duloinea  del  To- 
boso,"  imported  from  England,  with  nearly  all  my  force,  but  in 
vain;  he  looked  at  me,  breathed  very  short,  but  could  do  no 
more.  The  only  exception  was  a  lean  creature,  whose  head 
was  riot  only  curved  ooicavely,  but  was  literally  half  as  long 

*  This  ram  belongs  to  th  oroBs  breed  created  at  Charmoise  bv  the  re- 
union of  the  blood  Kew-K*  nt  on  the  side  of  the  fathei's,  and  of  the 
bi*eeda  of  the  Sologne,  of  Touraihe,  of  Betry,  and  merinoa  on  the  mothera' 
side. 


224  ^  FAGGOT  OF  FBENOE  STICKS. 

as  his  body ;  his  snout  turned  upwards,  his  oars  were  bent,  and 
so  was  his  baok.  I  never  before  saw  such  a  crooked  creature, 
and,  indeed,  he  was  surrounded  by  so  great  a  crowd  of  people, 
that  I  could  succeed  in  getting  only  a  glimpse  of  his  extraor- 
dinary outline. 

I  now  entered  another  stable,  as  large  and  as  hish  as  a 
oliuroh,  full  of  bulls  and  stallions.  The  latter,  a  lot  of  coarse, 
half-bred  brutes  for  harness,  were  making  a  vast  deal  of  unne- 
cessary noise  ;  and  as  it  was  evident  to  me  at  a  glance  thoy 
were  fit  for  nothing  else,  I  left  them  alone  in  their  glory.  In 
the  catalogue,  which  had  nothing  to  say  in  their  favour,  the 
colour  of  each,  called  in  French  his  "  rwei^  was  as  follows : — 
"  Gris  olair,  gris  de  fer,  bai-rouge,  rouan,  eris  pommels,  rouge 
olair,  bai  chlltain,  bai-brun  maraud  de  feu,  gris  fonc^,  gris 
blanc,  bringee,  rouge  et  blanche,  &o.  &o. 

In  France  everything  is  licked  by  the  tongue  of  science 
into  a  magnificent  shape,  and  accordingly,  instead  of  using 
homely  names,  the  "  show"  I  had  just  witnessed  was  described  ' 
on  a  long  piece  of  canvas,  surmounted  by  a  tri-oolour  flag,  as 
"  Institut  Agronomique." 

The  prizes  and  medals  it  annually  bestows  for  the  improve- ' 
ment  of  the  breed  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs,  and  which 
amount  to  69,024  francs,  are  distributed  equally  among  eight 
districts  ("circonscriptions  r^gionales")  \j  follows : — 

Prizes  for  animals  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  perfect 
for  the  uses  for  which  they  are  respectively  destined : — 

^    Espdce  Cheyaline  (draft  Btallions),  not  leas  than  %  years  old.  ; 

Iflt  Piize     ....     1000 ) 

■■t>.  2nd    do 700  V     2200  > 

''  8rd    do.      ....      coo)  ; 

Esp^ce  Bovine  (bnllis)  not  lees  than  1  year  old. 

let  Prize  ....    2000") 

2nd  da  ....     1000  ( 

8rd    do.  ....      800  f  4400 

4th    do.  .    ,    .    .^     600J 

Esp6ce  Ovine  (rams),  not  leas  than  8  mouths. 

i  1st  Prize      ....  COO ) 

2nd  do 800}.   1000  ' 

8rd  do,        ,    .    i    .  200)  ;  •* 

-.        .  "'-f  ,  -'    '  ■  * 


VERSAILLES. 


Dspdce  Porcine  (Boors),  not  less  than  6  monthai 

iBt  Prize    ....      800  ) 

2nd  do 200  >■   600 

8rd    do.      ....      100) 

All  the  first  prizes  are  aooompanied  by  a  gold  medal,  the 
others  by  a  silver  one.  The  sum  of  500  francs  for  each  of  the 
eight  regions  is  awarded  with  a  medal  to  farm  servants  distin- 
guished by  the  care  and  intelligence  they  have  bestowed  on 
animals.  Medals  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  are  also  given  to 
the  inventors  of  the  best  description  of  agricultural  instru* 
ments,  machines,  and  utensils  ;  moreover  to  the  foremen  and 
workmen  who  have  most  distinguished  themselves  in  the  con- 
struction and  execution  of  the  machinery,  and  of  those  imple* 
ments  that  gained  the  prizes. 

On  coming  out  of  the  iron  gate,  which,  with  a  correspond- 
ing range  of  iron  railings,  gilt  at  top  and  at  bottom,  enclose 
the  magnificent  stables  and  yards  I  had  been  perambulating, 
I  found  myself  in  front  of  the  palace  (Si  Versailles,  on  the 
great  Place  d' Armes,  a  noble  esplanade,  800  feet  broad,  formed 
by  the  concentration  of  the  Avenue  de  St.  Cloud,  98  yards 
broad ;  the  Avenue  de  Paris,  and  the  Avenue  de  Sceauz,  each 
77  yards  broad. 

On  approaching  the  parapet  and  iron  railings,  which  sepa- 
rate this  esplanade  from  the  Cour  d'Honneur,  I  mingled  with, 
and  stood  for  some  minutes  among,  a  crowd  of  gentlemen, 
ladies,  and  children,  watching  a  large  covered  van,  choke-full 
of  fire-works  some  men  were  tumbling  very  roughly  to  the 
ground,  upon  which  there  already  lay  several  loads ;  and  while 
labourers  in  blouses  were  hauling  at  these  fire-works,  by  pul- 
leys, to  raise,  adjust,  and  fix  them  to  the  lofty  temporary  scaf- 
foldings which  had  been  constructed  to  receive  them,  soldiers 
were  indolently  smoking  all  round. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  Cour  d'Honneur,  surrounded  by 
various  groups  of  figures  in  stone,  and  by  sixteen  marble  sta- 
tues, removed  in  1837  from  the  Pont  de  Concorde  at  Paris,  I 
observed  a  splendid  colossal  equestrian  statue  of  Louis  XIV. : 
on  the  frieze  of  a  pediment,  supported  by  four  Corinthian 
columns,  and  at  the  base  of  which,  seated  on  a  bench,  were 
a  number  of  soldiers  in  red  trousers,  listening  to  a  brass- 
band  playing  beside  them,  there  was  inscribed,  in  large  let- 
ters— 

10*         ,  " 


226 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FJiFNC/l  STICKS. 
"A  tout«B  les  Gloires  do  la  Franc*."* 


I  now  proceeded  with  a  stream  of  people,  who,  regardless 
of  fireworks,  music,  soldiers,  or  statues,  were  flowing — and 
ever  since  I  had  been  on  the  Cour  d'Honneur  had  been  flowing 
— towards  a  door  on  the  left  of  the  palace,  which  I  had  scarcely 
entered  when  a  person  in  uniform,  pointing  with  his  open 
ri|^ht  hand  to  a  small  chamber,  said  to  me  very  gravely,  but 
with  a  slight  bow,  "  Votre  bftton,  s'il  vous  plait,  Monsieur,  "f 
The  little  hooked  stick  of  which  he  spoke  was  a  gnarled, 
knotted  piece  of  common  English  oak,  for  which  I  had  paid 
in  London  fourpence ;  and  as  at  almost  every  institution  at 
Paris  open  to  the  public,  visitors  are  prevented  from  entering 
with  umbrellas,  or  sticks  of  any  sort,  and  as  two  sous  are  in- 
variably charged  for  taking  care  of  the  inadmissible  article,  I 
had  already  paid  ten  or  twenty  times  as  inuch  for  my  stick 
as  it  had  cost ;  and  as  I  naturally  felt  proud  of  the  noble  ad 
valorem  revenue  it  was  continually  conferring  upon  the 
French  people,  with  great  pleasure  I  handed  it  and  a  penny 
to  an  elderly  lady,  whose  daughter  in  return  gave  me,  as  she 
gently  shook  her  curls,  an  infinitesimal  portion  of  a  smile  and 
a  blue  card ;  and  as  everybody  who  entered  this  chamber  left 
it  stickless,  umbrellaless,  but  with  a  blue  card,  I  instinctively 
followed  them  into  the  first  of  a  magnificent  suite  of  rooms, 
with  polished  oak  floors,  full  of  living  people,  gazing  at, 
crowding  around,  and  gliding  past,  most  beautiful  pictures  of 
the  dead. 

Almost  the  first  that  attracted  my  attention  was  a  very 
exciting  one,  representing  General  Augereau  at  the  battle  and 
on  the  bridge  of  Arcole.  At  the  head  of  the  grenadiers  of  the 
guard,  who,  dressed  in  high  fur  caps,  with  their  muskets  in 
front  of  them,  were  impetuously  leaning  forward  as  they  ad- 
vanced, was  to  be  seen  the  General  most  gallantly  leading 
them  on  to  glory  and  victory.  As  a  contrast,  however,  to  his 
excessive  valour,  or  rather  as  a  representation  of  that  discre- 
tion with  which  it  is  said  the  virtue  should  be  accompanied, 
the  painter  had  very  ingeniously  inserted  a  short  sturdy 
drummer,  who,  leaning  backwards  the  opposite  way,  in  the 
attitude  of  a  man  holding  a  wilful  pig  by  the  tail,  was  tugging 


vW* 


*  To  all  the  Glories  of  France. 
X  Your  stick,  Sir,  if  you  please. 


»#. 


\    ! 


/».. 


VERSAILLES. 


227 


with  a\\  his  force  at  the  skirt-tails  of  the  coat  of  Q-eneral 
Augereau.  A  little  farther  on  was  a  picture  of  Napoleon's 
marriage  with  Marie  Louise,  both  being  blessed  before  the 
altar  by  the  Pope.  I  now  found  I  bad  entered  a  labyrinth 
of  wonders,  of  a  very  small  portion  of  which  I  could  only  enjoy 
a  passing  glance.  Indeed,  for  hours  I  went  through  one  splen- 
did suite  of  apartments  after  another,  containing  the  armorial 
bearings  of  French  knights  who  had  fought  in  the  Holy  Land  ; 
colossal  pictures  of  battles  during  the  Crusades ;  portraits  of 
the  Kings  of  Franco,  from  Pharamond  down  to  Louis  Philippe, 
King  of  the  French ;  pictures  illustrating  all  the  most  re- 
markable historical  events ;  all  the  principal  battles,  naval 
and  military,  which  have,  from  the  earliest  periods,  charac- 
terized the  arms  of  France  under  the  monarchy,  the  empire, 
and  the  republic. 

To  attempt  to  delineate  all  I  saw  would  be  as  impossible 
as  it  would  be  to  depict  every  leaf  of  a  forest.  I  can  there- 
fore only  say,  that  I  followed  the  crowd  through  the  interior 
of  the  palace  of  Versailles,  with  very  little  more  knowledge 
than  is  experienced  by  a  log  of  timber  passing  through  the 
mazes  of  the  block-machine  at  Portsmouth. 

Of  the  historical  pictures,  as  might  naturally  be  expected, 
a  vast  number  represent  the  progress  of  Napoleon,  who,  not 
only  in  all  his  battles,  but  often  in  different  attitudes,  and 
in  various  positions  in  each,  is  represented  with  a  spirit  and 
effect  which  must  be  highly  exciting  to  the  French  people, 
and  which,  indeed,  I  felt  could  not  be  witnessed  even  by  a 
stranger  without  emotion.  As  his  extraordinary  history  ap- 
proached its  climax,  a  whole  room  was,  and  occasionally  two 
rooms  were,  devoted  to  the  victories  of  each  year  of  his  life. 
On  entering  room  1812  I  began  to  feel  curious  and  anxious 
to  know  in  what  manner  the  termination  of  his  victories  would 
be  recorded  on  canvas.  On  entering  room  1813  these  feel- 
ings increased.  On  entering  room  1814  they  became  intense, 
inasmuch  as  I  felt  that  in  the  next  room,  1815,  I  should  see 
and  know  all !  The  historian,  however,  had  it  appeared  sud- 
denly broken  his  wand  of  office  ;  for  from  room  1814,  when 
I  entered  what  I  expected  to  be  room  1815,  I  was  altogether 
bewildered  at  finding'  myself  in  a  chamber,  the  last  but  one 
of  the  whole  suite,  entitled  1823,  containing  among  a  chance- 
medley  of  pictures,  an  unusully  large  one  of  "  Louis  XVIII. 


228 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


auz  Tuileries."*  At  any  other  moment,  and  in  anj  other 
place,  the  subject  might  have  been  highly  interesting  to  me; 
but  when  the  human  mind  is  in  full  cry  on  any  other  scent, 
it  cannot  suddenly  run  riot  on  another.  Instead,  therefore, 
of  looking  at  the  large  picture,  around  which  almost  every 
other  spectator  was  crowding,  for  a  considerable  time  my  eyes 
wandered  vacantly  from  one  wall  to  another,  until,  all  of  a 
sudden,  they  pounced  upon  a  small  insignificant  space,  not 
only  over  and  between  the  windows,  but  devoid  of  light,  in 
which  there  was  a£Gized  a  picture  simply  representing  a  large 
flagstone, — some  willows  weeping  over  it, — some  figures  I 
could  scarcely  decipher  standing  beside  it,  and  above  the 
whole  the  brief  inscription, — 

"SiFDLTOBX  DE   NaFOLEON   1  St.    HELiNX^    1821."  f 

The  moral  it  offered  was  so  overwhelming  that,  to  prevent 
observation,  I  deemed  it  right  immediately  to  walk  away  into, 
the  last  room,  where,  without  a  possibility  of  wounding  the 
high,  sensitive  feelings  of  any  one,  I  was  enabled  to  rest  and 
reflect  on  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  end  of  the  career 
of  that  extraordinary  man,  whose  pictorial  history,  like  a  dis- 
tempered dream,  had  for  nearly  two  hours  been  rumbling  and 
tumbling  before  my  eyes. 

But  oesides  Napoleon's  history,  I  had  seen  represented  in  : 
sculpture  as  well  as  in  painting  the  chief  events  of  the  Empire, 
of  the  reign  of  Louis  XYIII.,  of  Charles  X ,  and  of  the  bat- 
ties  fought  in  Algeria ;  with  portraits  not  only  of  the  G-rand  v 
Admirals,  Constables,  Marshals,  and  celebrated  warriors,  who, , 
individually  and  collectively,  have  reflected  honour  on  the  an-  ^ 
nals  of  France,  but  of  persons  of  note  (including  portraits  of 
Pitt,  Fox,  George  lY.,  and  Duke  of  York)  of  aU  ages  and 
countries. 

In  the  '^  grands  appartements,"  which  occupy  the  whole  of ; ' 
the  first  floor  of  the  central  projecting  building  facing  the 
garden,  I  had  seen  the  salons  d'Hercule,  de  Diane,  de  Yenus, 
de  I'Abondance,  des  Etats  Gl^6n6raux,  de  Mars,  de  Mercure, 
d'AjpoUon,  de  la  Guerre,  du  Conseil,  &c.  &c.  I  had  beheld 
ceilings,  paintings,  and  sculpture  of  great  beauty ;  and  in  the 

*  Louis  XVin.  at  the  Tuileries. 

t  "^^  Grave  of  Napoleon  at  St  Helena,  1821. 


W 


t  / 


"r^ 


u 


VERSAILLES. 


229 


<'  ohambre  a  coucher  "  *  of  Louis  XIY .  I  had  seen  opposite  to 
the  windows — the  light  from  which  shines  directly  upon  it— 
the  bed  in  which  that  despotic  King  had  died.  Its  canopy 
and  counterpane  are  of  ancient  tapestry ;  but,  with  very  ques- 
tionable taste,  the  ceilings  and  walls  of  the  room  have  lately 
been  completely  covered  with  bright  gold,  which,  like 


31.' 


"The  gay  Btream  of  lightaome  day, 
Gilds  but  to  flout  the  ruins  gi'ey." 


From  the  balcony  of  this  chamber,  which  had  never  been 
slept  in  by  any  sovereign  since  the  death  of  the  monarch 
whose  name  it  bears,  on  the  6th  of  October,  1789,  Louis 
XYI.,  attended  by  hia  wife  and  children,  addressed  the  infu- 
riated mob,  who,  notwithstanding  his  remonstrances,  forced 
him  from  them  to  his  prison  in  Paris. 

In  "  the  chambre  ^  coucher  de  Marie  Antoinette  "  I  beheld 
the  room  not  only  in  which  that  unfortunate  Queen  gave  birth 
to  the  Duohesse  d'AngoulSme,  but  from  which,  on  the  fatal 
night  of  the  5th  of  October,  above  referred  to,  she  was  aroused 
from  her  bed  to  escape,  by  a  small  corridor  leading  to  the  ''oeil 
de  boeuf,"  from  the  mob  which  had  burst  into  the  palace. 

As  I  had  followed  the  stream  here,  there,  and  everywhere— 
sometimes  along  a  gallery,  sometimes  up  a  staircase,  then  into 
a  chapel,  then  up  another  staircase,  and  then  down  one — I 
often  observed  with  pleasure  the  interest  which  men  in  blouses, 
accompanied  by  their  wives  and  daughters,  seemed  to  take  in 
the  historical  pictures,  portraits,  busts,  statues,  and  monumental 
effigies,  &c.,  which  not  only  gave  them  a  pretty  good  idea  of 
the  meaning  of  the  superscription  outside  of  the  Museum — 
namely^  "  A  toute?  les  Gloires  de  la  France," — l)ut  which  must 
have  the  effect  of  elevating  their  ideas.  At  all  events,  I  can 
truly  say  that  nothing  could  be  better  behaved  than  the  con- 
duct and  demeanour  of  the  various  grades  of  people  with 
whom,  in  my  peregrinations  through  the  galleries,  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  associate. 

After  I  had  feasted  on  infinitely  more  pictures  and  works 
of  sculpture  than  I  had  power  to  digest,  from  one  of  the  cen- 
tral western  windows  of  the  palace  I  gazed  through  the  mas- 
sive walls  at  various  circles  and  a  long,  narrow,  rectangular 

'  '  *  Bedohamber. 


230 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


pieee  of  water,  ornamenting  gardens,  terraees,  lawns,  Isfarubbe- 
ries,  and  walks,  all  swarming  alive  with  people ;  and  the  busy 
scene  on  the  foreground  of  the  picture  was  strongly,  strangely, 
and  beautifully  contrasted  with  the  woodland  scenery  which, 
in  its  new  May  dress,  bounded  the  horizon  at  a  great  dis- 
tance. 

On  descending  I  found  a  contrast  eq^ually  remarkable,  for, 
while  nothing  «ould  exceed  the  ease  with  which  the  various 
groups  of  people  were  harmoniously  enjoying  themselves,  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  describe  the  stiff,  rigid  formality  of  the 
vegetable  world  they  inhabited. 

Not  only  was  every  border  in  the  garden  as  full  of  sharp, 
uncomfortable  angles  as  an  old  maid,  but  the  high,  broad,  lux- 
uriant  box  hedge  which  bounded  it  was  chopped  as  fiat  as  a 
table.  The  trees— even  the  cypresses — ^were  all  cut  into  cones 
and  pyramids ;  the  lawns  were  rectangular,  every  path  was 
straight ;  in  short,  lawns,  paths,  trees,  and  shrubs  all  looked  as 
if,  instead  of  being  under  the  mild,  gentle  care  of  Nature  and 
a  Republic,  they  were  subjected  to  the  domination  of  a  tyran- 
nical sergeant-major,  who,  just  as  I  had  entered  the  garden, 
had  vociferated  to  them  the  word  ^'  Attention  !"  in  obedience 
to  which  nothing  moved,  nothing  even  fluttered. 

After  walking,  or  rather  marching,  for  some  minutes,  I 
reached  the  commencement  of  the  "  tapis  vert,"*  a  long  lawn 
of  grass  beautifully  green,  but  in  substance  as  inferior  to  Eng- 
lish turf  as  a  transparent  Venetian  carpet  is  to  one  of  those 
thick  luxurious  ones  from  Axminster.  On  this  space,  at  all 
times  the  principal  rendezvous  of  the  little  world  that  sur- 
rounds it,  I  witnessed  one  of  the  most  pleasing,  quiet,  orderly, 
tranquil  scenes  that  can  possibly  be  conceived. 

At  the  head  of  the  lawn,  attended  by  three  sentinels,  slowly 
pacing  around  them,  was  a  brass  band,  holding  in  various  atti- 
tudes all  sorts  and  shapes  of  wind  instruments,  pot-bellied, 
straight,  crooked  and  serpentine.  In  the  middle  of  this  soci- 
ety of  odd  fellows,  whose  cheeks  sometimes  appeared  as  pltimp 
as  those  of  cherubim,  and  sometimes  as  concave  as  if  they  had 
suddenly  become  "  sans  teeth,  sans  everything,"  stood  erect 
and  conspicuous  to  the  assembled  multitude  the  band-master, 
beating  time  with  his  key-bugle,  which  he  kept  continually 
waving  through  the  air,  as  if,  besides  giving  lessons  in  music, 

*  Green  carpet 


i\^ 


VERSAILLES. 


S31 


he  was  slowly  performing  the  six  outs  of  the  broadsword  exer- 
cise. 

Although  this  magio  circle  was  surrounded  by  people  of  all 
classes  in  various  attitudes  of  attention  and  of  placid  enjoy- 
ment, no  one  pressed  either  upon  the  band  or  upon  each  other, 
and  accordingly  the  sentinels  continued  to  pace  to  and  fro,  un- 
interrupting  and  uninterrupted.  The  music,  executed  with 
great  taste,  was  usually  soft,  and  consequently  its  occasional 
bursts  produced  a  very  striking  effect.  Among  the  crowd,  who 
either  stood  silently  around,  or  slowly  sauntering  in  the  vicin- 
ity, were  a  number  of  women  in  clean  crimped  white  caps,  and 
m  en  in  blouses — the  national  costume  of  Frenchmen  out  of 
Paris — clean  neckcloths,  and  good  waistcoats.  About  one- 
third  of  the  ladies  had  bonnets  and  parasols.  Moving  among 
this  mass  I  observed  here  and  there  a  hussar,  whose  bright 
blue  jacket,  silver  helmet,  and  scarlet  trousers  flashed  like  a 
tropical  bird  or  a  fire-fly. 

On  the  tapis  vert  were  to  be  seen  a  congregation  of  people 
of  all  descriptions  and  all  ages,  worming  their  way  among  each 
other  with  the  greatest  propriety  ;  indeed,  to  tell  the  truth,  I 
repeatedly  felt  the  propriety  of  the  children  to  be  quite  pain- 
ful ;  and  as  I  looked  at  little  girls  of  ten  years  old,  dressed  as 
if  they  were  "  out,"  looking  as  if  they  believed  it,  and  walking 
under  parasols,  with  little  boys  of  four  and  five  years  of  age, 
one  of  whom,  gently  brandishing  a  cane,  wore  spectacles — an- 
other had  a  cross  and  scarlet  ribbon  at  his  breast — I  longed  to 
set  them  all  together  by  the  ears  ;  make  them  cast  aside  their 
good  behaviour ;  thump  each  other's  faces  ;  spoil  each  other's 
clothes  ;— in  short,  do  anything  rather  than  continue  such  ar- 
tificial patterns  of  politeness. 

On  each  side  of  the  lawn,  seated  in  groups,  on  chairs  hired 
for  a  penny,  and  of  which  the  number  appeared  to  be  infinite, 
were  a  number  of  people,  young  and  old.  the  former  eagerly 
and  sometimes  rather  ardently  conversing  with  each  other,  the 
latter  placidly  enjoying  the  happy  scene  before  them. 

From  the  "  tapis  vert"  I  strolled  in  various  directions  into 
the  woods  on  either  side  ;  but,  go  where  I  would,  it  was  always 
in  a  straight  line.  In  fact,  it  appeared  to  me  that,  inasmuch 
as  the  flower-borders  of  Versailles  have  evidently  been  con- 
trived by  a  geometrician  instead  of  a  gardener,  so  have  the 
woods  been  intersected  by  broad  paths  for  the  object  of  demon- 


232 


A  FAQGOr  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 


\\ 


strating  somo  of  those  simple  theorems  of  Euclid  which  begin 
with  "  Let  A  B  G  be  a  triangle,  A  B  C  D  a  rectangle,  &c.  &c. 

On  reaching  the  row  of  iron  rails  which  separate  the  tapis 
vert  and  fountain  of  Apollo  from  the  "  grand  canal,"  I  came  to 
a  house  or  lodge,  over  which  was  inscribed  "  Secours  aux 
Noy6s,"*  at  the  door  of  which  there  appeared — sometimes  sep- 
arately and  sometimes  together — a  landlord  and  a  landlady, 
grinning,  happy,  and  in  a  state  of  violent  perspiration,  not  so 
much  from  assisting  drowning  persons,  as  from  selling  innu- 
merable bottles  of  beer  and  unwholesome-looking  cekes  (it  was 
Sunday)  to  a  group  of  joyous,  thirsty  people,  seated  on  chairs 
all  round  their  door. 

In  one  of  the  magnificent,  broad,  green  hunting  rides  into 
which  the  wood  is  here  divided,  I  found  about  two  hundred  of  > 
the  young  soldiers  of  St.  Gyr,  an  establishment  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  officers  for  the  French  army,  dressed  in  blue  coats, 
scarlet  trousers,  blue  shakos,  and  knapsacks,  surmounted  with 
a  great-coat.  While  they  were  gambolling  in  a  variety  of  t  \ 
ways,  their  muskets  with  fixed  bayonets  were  piled  on  the 
grass.  Just  as  I  arrived  a  drum  beat,  on  which,  running 
towards  their  respective  piles,  they  grasped  their  weapons,  fell 
in,  in  less  than  a  minute  with  trailed  arms  marched  away,  and 
they  were  thus  proceeding  up  a  green  road,  when  all  of  a  sud- 
den they  broke  out  into  a  loud  manly  song,  which,  keeping 
time  with  their  feet,  echoed  and  re-echoed  through  the  woods. 

On  returning  through  the  forest  to  the  palace,  I  found,  just 
arrived  from  Paris  by  the  train,  apparently  as  great  a  crowd  as 
ever  of  people  who,  in  endless  succession,  first  of  all  deposit 
their  ticks  and  umbrellas  at  the  little  door,  and  then,  over  oak 
floors  as  slippery  as  glass,  make  the  grand  tour  of  those  pic-- 
tures,  statues,  &c.,  which  the  living  world,  animal  and  vege- 
table, I  had  just  left,  had  already  almost  obliterated  from  my  . 
memory. 

On  passing  through  the  iron  gates  in  my  way  to  the  rail- 
way station,  I  found  on  the  "  Place  d' Armes  "  swarms  of  people 
watching  the  hoisting  up  of  large  wooden  frames  bristling  with 
the  fireworks,  which  were  to  conclude  the  f6te. 

In  the  town  of  Versailles,  at  the  insertion  of  four  large 
paved  streets,  I  came  to  a  dodecagonal  grande  place,  in  the 
oentre  of  which,  on  a  pedestal,  appeared  the  statue  of  an  officer 

*  Assbtaucc  to  di'owning  people. 


\  i 


VERSAILLES. 


233 


in  uniform,  without  any  hat  leaning  on  his  sword ;  beneath 
him  was  insoribed — 

Hoche, 

n6  a  Versailles 

le24  Juin,  1768, 

Soldat  &  16  ans, 

G^ndral  en  Chef  ii  25, 

Mort  a  29, 

Pacificateur  de  la  Vendfie.* 

On  reaching  the  railway  station,  the  Paris  train,  heavily  la- 
den with  people,  almost  all  of  whom  were  evidently  quite  full 
and  quite  happy,  started,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  those  who 
had  been  enjoying  the  f^te  of  Versailles,  and  those  who,  on  the 
same  Sabbath-day,  had  been  enjoying  the  f^te  of  Paris  were 
once  again  mingled  together. 

As  I  was  strolling  towards  my  dinner  through  the  Champs 
Elys6es,  I  found  reposing  beneath  the  shade  of  the  trees,  at 
some  distance  from  the  promenade,  a  congregation  of  rush- 
bottomed  chairs,  almost  new,  waiting  to  be  hired.  In  front  of 
them,  and  along  the  whole  length  of  the  avenue,  on  similar 
chairs,  were  seated  in  groups  leaning  towards  each  other,  and 
puffing  into  one  another's  races,  gentlemen  dressed  in  the  very 
height  of  the  fashion :  behind  whom,  on  the  cold  hard  stone 
benches  of  the  avenue,  sat  ruminating,  with  their  chins  resting 
on  their  sticks,  several  veterans  clothed  in  the  respected  uni- 
form of  the  Invalides.  The  object  of  the  assembled  multitude 
was  to  gaze  at  the  endless  chain  of  carriages  of  all  descriptions 
that  still  kept  continually  rolling  backwards  and  forwards. 
What,  however,  most  attracted  my  attention  were  the  eques- 
trians. 

I  am  quite  unable  to  account  for  it,  but  it  is  a  fact  which 
must,  I  think,  strike  every  stranger  in  Paris,  namely,  that  the 
French,  who  excel  us  all  in  walking,  dancing,  and  fencing,  are, 
without  exception,  the  worst  riders  in  Europe.    In  all  other 


*  Hoche, 

born  at  Versailles     , 

the  24th  Jvine,  1*768, 

a  Soldier  at.l6  years  of  age, 

a  General-in-Chief  at  25, 

Died  at  29, 

The  Pacificator  of  Lei  Vendue. 


234 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


countries,  a  man,  grasping  more  or  less  firmly  with  his  knees 
his  saddle-flaps,  aUows  his  body  freely  to  partake  of  the  motion 
of  the  horse,  until,  with  our  best  riders,  the  two,  as  they  skim 
together  over  rough  ground,  appear  to  form  one  animal. 

In  France,  however,  the  rule  is  diametrically  the  reverse, 
for,  the  moment  the  horse  begins  to  canter,  the  rider's  legs  be- 
come like  a  pair  of  scissors  astride  an  iron  poker,  and,  while 
they  appear  useless,  his  back  assumes  the  shape  of  a  new  moon. 
In  fact,  the  French  have  no  more  seat  on  a  horse  than  a  parched 
pea  has  on  a  shovel ;  and  as  they  trot  along,  hopping  up  and 
down  at  one  pace,  while  their  fine  English  quadruped  is  boldly 
striding  onwards  at  another,  I  have  constantly  expected  to  see, 
'even  a  dragoon  trotting  along  with  a  despatch,  hop,  hop,  hop, 
over  the  tail,  to  his  mother  earth.  In  short,  their  uncomfort- 
able appearance  always  reminded  me  of  the  toast  proposed  by 
an  inhabitant  of  the  State  of  Mississippi : — 

"  Gentlemen,  I  give  ye  '  A  high-trotting  horse,  cobweb  . . 
breeches,  and  a  porcupine  saddle,  for  the  enemies  of  our  glori-  1  \ 
cus.institutions!'"  \ 

While  the  spectators  in  the  Champs  Elys^es  were,  like  my- 
self, each  indolently  employed  in  making  his  own  observations 
on  the  moving  objects  that  in  delightful  succession  passed  before 
his  eyes,  workmen  were  employing  their  Sunday  in  taking  down 
the  ornaments  of  the  bygone  f6te  of  the  preceding  Sabbath;  > 
Three  I  observed  busily  occupied  in  undoing  the  magnificent' 
colossal  statue  which  had  been  constructed  at  the  "  Bond- 
Point."  The  arms  of  "  France,"  with  a  crown  of  laurels  in 
each  hand,  were  still  extended,  and  yet  one  man  in  a  blouse, 
seated  on  her  shoulders,  and  looking  by  comparison  like  a  pig- 
my, was  hammering  at  her  neck ;  another  was  destroying  her 
middle  ;  of  her  legs  nothing  remained  but  bare  poles.  On  the 
pedestal  there,  however,  still  survived  the  insonption  :-^ 

■T 

«Auz  Gloires  de  la  France  1" 

While  the  lower,  labourer,  without  remorse,  was  pulling  the 
straw  out  of  France's  belly,  with  my  little  English  oak  stick  I 
pointed  at  this  inscription  to  a  couple  of  Frenchmen  who  were 
at  my  side,  and,  witir  that  good  humour  which  distinguishes 
their  race,  they  laughed  at  it  as  heartily  as  I  did.  , 


D£S  JMUNES  AVEVQLES. 


235 


•f* 


% 


INSTITUTION  NATIONALE  DBS  JEUNES 
AVEUGLES. 

On  arriving  at  the  corner  of  tlie  Boulevart  and  Bue  de  S^ 
vres,  I  saw  before  me  a  large  handsome  building,  forming 
three  sides  of  a  square,  of  which  the  middle  compartment 
contained  fifteen  windows  in  front,  the  two  ends  six  windows 
each, — total  of  windows  facing  the  Boulevart,  twenty-seven. 

In  the  year  1784,  a  Monsieur  Havy,  who  was  himself 
sightless,  benevolently  established  for  blind  children  a  school, 
which,  in  1791,  was  created  by  Louis  XVI.  a  Eoyal  Institu- 
tion. In  1843  it  was  removed  from  the  S^minaire  St.  Firman 
in  the  Eue  St.  Victor  to  the  locality  above  described.  The 
day  on  which  the  public  are  admitted  to  this  admirable  insti- 
tution is  Wednesday,  from  one  to  five. 

Not  being  aware  of  this  arrangement,  I  unfortunately  went 
there  on  a  Tuesday  at  two  o'clock.  As,  however,  I  had  re- 
ceived from  a  person  in  authority  in  Paris  a  note  of  general 
recommeildation  in  my  favour,  to  be  used  if  requisite,  I  deter- 
mined to  avail  myself  of  iuy  firman,  and  I  accordingly  informed 
the  concierge,  wuose  face,  on  my  tolling  the  bell  over  which 
she  presided,  had  appeared  peeping  through  a  gate  which  she 
continued  to  hold  in  her  hand,  that  I  wanted  to  see  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  establishment,  and  I  had  scarcely  entered  his 
apartment  when  the  door  opened,  and  in  he  walked.  I  found 
Monsieur  Dufau,  for  such  was  his  name,  an  exceedingly  intel- 
ligent man.  He  was  the  author  of  a  very  able  work  on  the 
treatment  of  the  blind,  which  has  been  translated  into  German 
and  Russian ;  besides  which  he  wore  in  the  buttonhole  of  his 
coat  the  riband  of  the  Legion  of  Honour. 

The  first  .part  of  the  establishment  to  which  he  was  so  good 
as  to  conduct  me,  was  a  small  airy  room,  in  which  the  parents 
and  friends  of  the  blind  are  allowed  to  see  and  converse  with 
them.  Beyond  it  we  entered  the  boys'  dining-room,  contain- 
ing two  long  tables,  at  the  end  of  which,  placed  transversely, 
was  a  table  for  the  professors,  all  of  whom  are  blind.  Be- 
neath i^ese  tables  was  a  row  of  small  pigeon-holes,  in  each  of 


'» 


236 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


which  was  a  napkin,  knife,  and  fork,  scientifically  adjusted  so 
as,  when  he  was  seaiited,  to  be  exactly  opposite  the  stomach  of 
the  person  to  whom  they  belonged.  In  another  part  of  the 
establishment  there  existed  a  similar  dining-room  for  the  girls. 

We  next  proceeded  into  a  nice  garden,  which  we  had 
scarcely  entered  when  four  blind  boys,  all  walking  together, 
arm  in  arm,  passed  us.  The  grounds  were  divided  into  two 
compartments,  one  for  lads  and  'big  boys,  the  other  for  little 
ones.  In  both,  the  blind  were  amusing  themselves  by  playing 
at  ninepins,  set  up  in  a  circular  space  of  about  five  feet  in 
diameter,  which,  as  well  as  a  passage  along  which  they  threw 
the  balls,  were  sunk  about  a  foot  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Beneath  the  shade  of  trees  many  of  the  lads  were 
exercising  themselves  at  gymnastics. 

On  entering  the  first  hall  of  study  I  found  a  gentleman, 
with  eyes,  reading  to  several  benches  of  blind  boys  history, 
the  taste  of  which  they  certainly  did  not  appear  very  particu- 
larly to  relish :  however,  the  good  labourer  in  the  vineyard 
was  diligently  sowing  the  seeds  of  knowledge,  and  I  felt  was 
only  to  be  pitied  if  they  fell,  as  I  fear  they  did,  on  a  sterile 
ground. 

We  next  entered  a  very  large  room,  beautifully  lighted, 
and,  what  was  much  more  useful  to  those  that  could  not  see, 
admirably  ventilated,  in  which  there  sat  four  blind  professors, 
distinguished  from  their  scholars  by  a  uniform,  the  collars  of 
which,  for  the  purpose  of  distinction — luous  a  non  lucendo — 
were  clightly  embroidered. 

On  their  right  and  left  stood,  indolently  leaning  against 
the  wall,  two  large  tall  double-basses ;  before  them,  in  rows 
on  long  benches,  sat,  dressed  in  blouses,  the  blind  pupils  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  teaching  to  sing.  We  afterwards  enter- 
ed three  other  lecture-rooms,  in  which  blind  professors  were 
teaching  blind  pupils  reading,  arithmetic  and  knowledge  of 
various  sorts. 

While  we  '^ere  in  a  long  healthy  passage,  communicating 
with  these  hails,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  bell  rang,  when  up  jump- 
ed the  whole  of  the  120  students  in  order  to  proceed  to  their 
respective  workshops.  Several,  with  as  much  confidence  as 
if  they  could  see,  ran  by  us ;  a  few — those,  probably,  who  had 
lately  joined — ^held  out  their  hands ;  but  the  rest,  without 
any  such  precaution,  walked  along  the  passage  until  they 


DES  JEUNES  A  VEUGlES. 


237 


came  to  theii*  respeotivo  staircases,  down  which  they  instant- 
ly disappeared  from  our  view.  Four  or  fiv6  I  observed  walking 
close  along  the  side  of  the  wall,  at  a  particular  part  of  which 
they  not  only  stopped,  but  remained  so  closely  packed  that 
the  breast  of  every  boy,  excepting  the  first,  seemed  to  press 
against  the  back  of  the  lad  before  him.  Monsieur  Dufau  told 
me  that  the  point  at  which  they  had  halted  was  the  door  of 
the  "  Principal"  Professor,  and  their  object  in  doing  so  was 
to  speak  to  him. 

After  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  to  allow  the  blind  to 
reach  the  different  points  of  their  destination,  we  proceeded 
to  a  room  containing  compositors'  frames,  fitted  in  the  usual 
way  with  tjy^pe,  and  several  small  printing-presses. 

By  desire  of  Monsieur  Dufau  two  or  three  blind  lads  and 
boys  set  up  some  type  very  adroitly ;  but  what  most  attract- 
ed my  attention  was  a  simple  alphabet,  invented  by  a  blind 
professor  of  the  establishment  about  ten  years  ago. 

In  England  the  blind  are,  I  believe,  required  by  touch 
to  read  symbols  invented  for  the  eyes,  and  which,  because 
they  are  perfectly  well  adapted  for  one  sense,  have  not  very 
logically  been  deemed  equally  valid  for  another,  the  two  not 
having  together  an  idea  in  common ;  for  instance,  to  the  eye 
gifted  with  the  power  of  looking  over,  almost  at  a  glance,  a 
territory  of  many  miles'  extent,  it  is  but  little  trouble  to  ob- 
serve the  diflference  between  the  diphthongs  oe  and  ae,  or  be- 
tween long-tailed  and  short-tailed  letters  of  equally  compli- 
cated forms.  To  the  touch,  however,  which  is  stone  blind,  the 
operation  is  difficult,  tedious,  and,  after  all 

The  following  will,  I  believe, 
tion  to  which  I  have  alluded : — 


»,  »x«vi  »«,  unnecessary, 
explain  the  practical  inven- 


238 


A  FAOaOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Ecriture  h,  I'usage  des  Aveugle.'<, 

proc^dd  de  L.  Braille,  Professeur  cl 

rinstitut  N^  des  J?**  Aveugles. 


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Now,  not  only  are  Monsieur  Braille's  embossed  symbols 
evidently  better  adapted  to  the  touch  than  the  letters  and 
figures  which  have  been  so  cleverly  invented  for  eyesight^  but 
to  the  blind  they  possess  an  additional  superiority  of  inesti- 
mable value,  namely,  that  they,  the  blind,  can  not  only  read 
this  type,  but  with  the  greatest  possible  ease  make  it ;  and 
as  I  witnessed  this  very  interesting  operation,  I  will  endea- 
vour briefly  to  describe  it. 


DES  JEUNES  A  VEUQLES. 


239 


1  A 


A  blind  boy  was  required  to  write  down  before  me,  ftrom 
the  dictation  of  his  blind  professor,  a  long  sentence. 

With  a  common  awl,  not  only  kept  in  line,  but  within  nar- 
ror/  limits,  by  a  brass  groove,  which  the  writer  had  the  power 
to  lower  at  tne  termination  of  each  line,  the  little  fellow  very 
rapidly  poked  holes  tallying  with  the  letters  he  wished  to 
represent.  There  was  no  twisting  of  his  head  sideways — no 
contortion  of  face — no  lifting  up  of  his  right  heel — ^no  screw- 
ing up  of  his  mouth — ^no  turning  his  tongue  from  beneath  the 
nose  towards  one  ear,  and  then  towards  the  other,  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  tails  of  crooked  letters,  which,  in  great  pain 
and  difficulty,  in  ordinary  writing,  the  schoolboy  may  be 
seen  successively  endeavouring  to  transcribe;  On  the  con- 
trary, as  the  little  fellow  punched  his  holes  he  sat  on  his  stool 
as  upright  as  a  cobbler  hammering  at  the  sole  of  a  shoe.  On 
the  completion  of  the  last  letter  he  threw  down  his  awl,  took 
up  his  paper,  and  then,  like  a- young  author  proudly  correct- 
ing his  press,  with  his  forefinger  instead  of  his  eyes, — ^which, 
Eoor  fellow,  looked  like  a  pair  of  plover's  eggs  boiled  hard,-— 
e  touched  in  succession  every  letter^  and^  all  proving  to  be 
correct,  he  stretched  out  his  little  hand  and  delivered  to  me 
his  paper. 

To  test  the  practical  utility  of  the  operation,  a  blind  boy 
was  sent  for  from  another  room.  The  embossed  paper  (for 
what  was  a  hole  on  one  side  was,  of  course,  a  little  mountain 
on  the  other)  was  put  into  his  hands,  and,  exactly  as  fast  as 
his  finger  could  pass  over  the  protuberances  made  by  his 
comrade,  he  read  aloud  the  awled  sentence  which  I  had  heard 
dictated. 

I  may  observe  that,  besides  letters  and  figures,  notes  of 
music  are  also  done  by  the  awl. 

In  the  room  in  which  we  stood,  besides  the  printing- 
presses,  were  frames  for  the  construction  of  embossed  maps, 
not  only  showing  the  positions  and  relative  heights  of  moun- 
tains, but  by  various  distinctions  of  surface  denoting  the  dif- 
ference between  the  aqueous  and  terrestrial  portions  of  the 
globe ;  and  as  all  these  divisions  are  originally  traced  from 
ordinary  maps,  it  was,  of  course,  found  that,  when  by  the 
moistening  of  the^paper  the  mountains,  &c.,were  embossed,  a 
proportionate  contraction  of  the  superficial  area  of  the  paper 
unavoidably  ensued. 


f240 


FAGGOT  OF  FRENCn  STICKS. 


This  inoonvenionoe  has  been  remedied  by  the  very  inge- 
nious invention  of  a  blind  man,  which  stretches  the  paper 
exactly  sufficient  to  compensate  for  its  contraction  by  em- 
bossment. 

After  witnessing  the  various  processes  in  the  art  of  book- 
binding executed  by  boys  who  had  never  seen  a  book,  bound 
or  unbound,  we  proceeded  to  a  shop,  where  I  found  several 
engaged  in  making  brushes,  under  the  direction  of  a  trades- 
man of  Paris,  to  whom  they  had  all  been  apprenticed.  In 
another  room  I  found  a  gang  of  blind  carpenters,  one  of 
whom  was  working  with  his  foot  a  vertical  saw,  which,  every 
moment,  as  I  stood  beside  him,  I  expected  would  out  his 
fingers  off;  he,  however,  managed  it  with  great  dexterity.  In 
the  next  shop,  full  of  turning-lathes  at  work,  it  was  really 
astonishing  to  see  boys  stone-blind  not  'only  using,  but  with 
great  rapidity  continually  selecting,  the  variety  of  edged 
tools  requisite  for  lumps  of  ebony  and  ivory  whirling  beneath 
their  faces.  In  a  long  room  several  were  employed  in  weav- 
ing, others  in  knitting. 

Monsieur  Dufau  now  led  me  to  a  part  of  the  building,  in  a 
room  of  which  I  found.,  seated  at  a  pianoforte,  a  blind  teacher, 
before  whom  sat  ten  sightless  boys,  listening  to  the  air  he 
played.  In  a  small  chamber  adjoining  I  saw  a  blind  profes- 
sor of  music,  with  a  boy  at  his  side,  every  half-hour  exchang- 
ed for  a  fresh  pupil.  Several  adjoining  rooms  contained  a 
pianoforte  and  a  blind  boy  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  and  the 
combined  results  of  all  their  labours  were  to  my  ears  anything 
but  pleasing ;  indeed^it  appeared  to  me  that  all  the  boys  in 
the  universe  were  discordantly  singing  together.  However,  I 
was  informed  that  those  only  were  being  instxuoted  who  had  a 
"  disposition  pour  la  musique  "* — namely,  about  one-third. 

I  was  going— ^I  did  not  exactly  know  where — ^when,  on  en- 
tering a  large  and  lofty  door,  I  found  myself  in  the  chapel  of 
the  establishment,  in  the  middle  of  which  stood  a  large  organ. 
Before  me  was  the  altar,  painted  blue,  with  pillars  on  each 
side ;  in  front  of  it  was  burning  a  solitary  lamp,  surrounded 
by  a  quantity  of  candles,  above  which  was  a  picture  which,  in- 
ofudiug  angels,  was  composed  of  thirty-four  persons ;  on  the 
ceiling  I  observed  a  variety  of  gilt  rosettes.  Immediately  in 
front  of,  and  beneath,  all  these  decorations  and  ornaments,  in 

*  Tofite  for  music 


■  A 


DES  JEUNES  A  VEUQLES. 


241 


two  galleries — ono  for  boys,  tbe  other  for  girls — are  to  be 
seen  arranged  in  tiers,  one  above  another,  the  dull  inanimate 
eyeballs  of  the  blind  inhabitants  of  the  asylum.  Every  in- 
mate is  allowed  to  follow  the  religion  in  which  he  or  she  wero 
educated  by  their  parents.  With  the  exception,  However,  of 
one  Jew  and  one  Protesant,  all  are  Catholics  of  the  Church  of 
Kome. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  opposite  wing  of  the  establishment, 
exclusively  occupied  by  inmates  of  the  gentler  sex.  In  walk- 
ing down  a  long  passage  I  observed  through  a  glass  door  a 
blind  girl  of  about  fourteen  playing  on  the  pianoforte  ;  she  was 
in  a  small  room,  entirely  by  herself  As  I  was  looking  at  her, 
a  young  person  in  black  approached  and  passed  me.  It  was  a 
blind  professor,  in  the  garb  of  her  oflSioe.  Through  another  glass 
door  I  saw  a  blind  teacher,  i^eading  from  an  awled  book  to  a 
girl  of  about  sixteen,  who,  from  her  dictation,  was  writing  with, 
her  a\Yl  very  fast.  I  then  entered  a  large  schopl,  full  of  young 
persons  knitting  or  plaiting  straw ;  but,  although  I  was  much 
interested  in  their  beb.'>\,  it  was  painful  to  me  to  witness  in  the 
rows  of  young  faces  before  me  how  dull,  sodden,  and  unintel- 
lectual  the  human  countenance  becomes  when  the  mind  of 
which  it  is  the  reflection  has  been  immured — ab  initio — in  total 
darkness.  Unlike  the  deaf  and  dumb  I  had  visited,  they  could 
neither  see  what  they,  themselves  were  doing,  nor  what  those 
around  them  were  doing ;  there  was.  therefore,  no  emulation  ; 
in  fact,  they  were  engage^  in  occupations  which,  though  useful 
to  the  community  at  large,  appeared  to  afford  them  no  mental 
enjoyment.  They  are,  however,  all  deeply  indebted  to  the 
charitable  institution  into  which  they  have  been  admitted  for 
the  absence  of  various  sufferings  to  which  they  might  otherwise 
have  been  exposed. 

Their  three  dormitories — into  which  I  was  next  conducted 
-r-are  exceedingly  clean,  airy,  healthy  rooms,  teeming  with  iron 
bedsteads  without  curtains,  divided  from  each  other  by  a  chair. 
Each  girl  has  a  separate  bed,  whicb  she  makes  herself,  and  as 
it  was  covered  with  a  nankeen  counterpane,  ornamented  with 
two  scarlet  stripes,  the  appearance  of  the  whole  was  very  pleas- 
ing. For  the  boys,  there  are,  in  their  department  of  the  build- 
ing, five  large,  healthy  dormitories  similarly  arranged. 

We  next  entered  the  girls'  washing-roqm,  a  light  and  well- 
ventilated  apartmient,  on  each  side  of  which  there  protruded 

11 


\ » 


E 

i    I 


l^ 


242 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


from  the  wall  ten  water-taps,  all  of  which  flowed  simultaneously 
into  a  leaden  trough  beneath. 

On  entering  the  infirmary,  which  was  beautifully  arranged, 
and  which  contained  clean  beds  with  white  cotton  curtains,  we 
were  received  by  one  of  the  four  Sisters  of  Charity  who  bene- 
Tolently  attend  it. 

On  descending  to  the  ground-floor  I  was  led  into  an  airy 
kitchen,  larger  than  that  of  the  Hdtel  des  Invalides,  which,  as 
I  have  stated,  is  capable  of  cooking  for  6000  persons.  It  con- 
tained, however,  only  one  hot  plate,  composed  of  ovens  and 
caldrons,  with  a  variety  of  bright  copper  saucepans,  of  various 
depths — indeed,  some  appeared  to  have  no  depth  at  all — which 
are  daily  in  requisition.  The  blind  inmates  of  the  establish- 
ment breakfast  at  eight,  generally  on  soup ;  at  twelve  they  dine, 
sometimes  on  meat,  and  sometimes  on  eggs  and  vegetables ;  at 
half-past  three  they  have  each  a  bit  of  bread  ;  at  seven  they 
have  supper,  and  shortly  afterwards  go  to  bed.  i\  '; 

As  I  fancied  I  had  now  seen  everything,  I  endeavoured  to 
express  to  M.  Dufau  my  gratitude  for  the  very  obliging  atten- 
tion he  had  shown  me.     He  stopped  me,  however,  by  observ- 


ing, almost  in  the  words  of  Portia— 

**  Tarry  a  little,  there  is  something  yet!" 

and  he  accordingly  led  me  into  a  large  chamber  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  kitchen,  in  which  I  beheld  sixteen  large  zinc  baths,  be- 
sides which  there  were  scattered  over  the  floor  thirty  large 
round  iron  pots,  about  18  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  small  hole 
in  the  bottcm  like  a  garden  flower-pot;  to  each  was  attached  a 
wooden  stool.  I  could  not  conceive  what  these  vessels  and 
their  satellite  attendants  could  possibly  be  for.  The  utter 
darkness  of  my  mind  was,  however,  suddenly  illuminated  by 
M.  Dufau  kindly  explaining  to  me  that,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  stools,  the  iron  pots  were  baths  for  the  feet ;  and  accord- 
ingly, on  M.  Dufau  turning  one  of  two  cocks,  marked  hot  and 
cold  water,  there  arose  in  all  the  thirty  pots  at  once  the  fluid 
to  whatever  height  might  be  desired.  When  the  blind  bathers 
had  left  their  stools,  by  turning  another  cock  the  whole  of  the 
water  they  have  been  using  disappears. 

Between    the   bath-room   and    kitchen   I   observed   two 
large  courts,  for  the  admission  not  only  of  provisions,  cods, 


MONT  DE  PIETE. 


^43 


&o.,  for  the  use  of  the  establishment,  but  of  plenty  of  good 
nir. 

Into  this  well-conducted  institution  pauper  children,  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eight  and  fifteen,  are  received  gratuitously 
on  the  production  of  certificates  of  their  birth,  freedom  from 
contagious  disorders  and  from  idiotcy.  Children  of  persons 
capable  of  paying  are  received  as  boarders.  On  the  last 
Saturday  of  every  month  there  is  an  examination  of  the  pupils 
of  both  sexes,  at  which  foreigners  are  allowed  to*be  present; 
and  four  or  five  times  a  year  public  concerts  are  held  in  the 
chapel,  to  which  any  person  is  admitted. 

After  taking  leave  of  M.  Dufau,  on  coming  out  I  pro- 
ceeded, as  I  thought,  towards  an  institution  I  was  desirous  to 
visit ;  but  somehow  or  somewhere  taking  a  wrong  turn,  I  went 
astray  a  little,  then  a  little  more,  and  then — as  is  usual — a 
great  deal  more,  until  I  felt  not  only  very  hot  ?iid  tired,  but 
quite  bewildered. 

"  Madame  I"  I  said  to  a  nice  comfortable  looking  lady,  of 
about  forty  years  of  age,  who,  grasping  the  handle  of  a  para- 
sol she  held  so  perpendicularly  that  it  prevented  her  seeing 
me,  happened  to  be  passing  at  the  moment  I  was  pitying  my- 
self, "  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  inform  me  of  the  road  to  the 
Convent  des  Lazaristes  ?" 

"Monsieur,"  she  replied,  lowering  her  parasol  to  the 
ground  as  if  it  had  been  the  colours  of  her  regiment  and  I 
her  sovereign — "  Monsieur,"  she  replied,  with  a  look  of  gen- 
eral benevolence,  "  vous  prendrez  la  premiere  rue  a  droite,  la 
seconde  a  gauche,  vous  la  suivrcz  jusqu'a  ce  que  vous  arrivez 
a  une  statue  d  moitie  nue ;  c'est  preque  vis-a-vis,"* 

I  thanked  her,  bowed, -and,  implicitly  following  her  prescrip- 
tion, in  due  time  I  reached,  first  the  statue,  and  then  the 
building  in  its  vicinity. 


M-r 


-•-%-*- 


MONT  DE  PI£t£ 

In  the  yard  of  that  portion  of  the  building  appropriated  for 
the  reception  of  pawned  goods,  "  engagemens,"  there  appeared 

+  Sir,  you  muBt  take  the  first  turning  to  the  right,  then  the  second  to 
the  left  until  you  come  to  a  statue  half-naked :  it  is  nearly  opposite. 


244 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


before  me  four  covered  hand-carts,  just  trundled  in,  laden  with 
eflFeots  that  had  been  pledged  at  the  branch  establishments. 

On  entering  the  portion  of  the  department  headed  "  En- 
gagemens,"  I  proceeded  up  stairs,  and  along  a  rather  crooked 
passage,  to  its  "  bureau,"  a  little  room  in  which  I  found  a 
stove,  a  large  open  sort  of  window  with  a  broad  counter  be- 
fore it,  and  round  the  other  three  sides  of  the  apartment  a 
wooden  bench,  on  which  were  sitting  in  mute  silence,  with 
baskets  or  bundles  on  their  laps,  ten  very  poor  people,  of  whom 
the  greater  portion  were  women.  As  I  entered  I  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  old  man  with  a  parcel  in  bis  hand ;  and  without 
noticing  or  being  noticed  by  any  of  those  who  had  come  be- 
fore us,  we  sat  down  together  side  by  side  on  the  bench,  where 
we  remained  as  silent  as  if  we  had  been  corpses. 

Before  me  was  the  back  of  a  poor  woman,  looking  upwards 
into  the  face  of  tfn  employ6  wearing  large  long  mustachios,  who 
was  untying  the  bundle  she  had  humbly  laid  on  the  counter  l^e- 
fore  him.  In  about  a  minute,  like  a  spider  running  away  with 
a  fly,  he  disappeared  with  it ;  very  shortly,  however,  after  the 
poor  woman  had  returned  to  her  hard  seat,  he  reappeared, 
looking  as  if  he  had  forgotten  all  abovft  it,  and  received  from 
a  man ,  a  parcel  of  old  wearing  appal  el — "  most  probably," 
said  I  to  myself,  "to  be  converted  into  food  for  a  starving 
family  I"  The  scene  altogether  was  so  simple  and  yet  so  sad, 
that  I  felt  anxious  to  decamp  from  it ;  however,  before  doing 
so  I  was  determined,  whatever  might  bo  the  penalty,  I  would 
peep  into  the  window ;  and  accordingly,  walking  up  to  it,  and 
to  the  broad  counter  before  it,  I  saw  on  the  right  of  the  gen 
tleman  in  mustachios  a  large  magazine  fitted  up  from  ceiling 
to  floor  with  shelves,  upon  which  were  arranged  the  heteroge- 
neous goods  as  fast  as  they  were  pledged.  In  hurrying  from 
the  scene  of  misery  I  had  witnessed,  I  almost  ran  against  a 
man  in  the  passage  holding  in  his  hand  a  frying-pan  he  was 
about  to  pledge,  and  into  which  I  managed  to  drop  a  small 
piece  of  silver  which  fortunately  for  him  happened  to  be 
lying  loose  in  my  waistcoat  pocket. 

In  an  adjoining  still  smaller  room,  the  furniture  of  which 
also  consisted  solely  of  a  stove  and  wooden  benches  against 
the  walls,  and  which  was  devoted,  I  believe,  entirely  to  "  bi- 
jouterie," or  jewellery,  I  found  a  similar  window  and  broad 
latticOj  at  which  a  poor  woman  was  pledging  a  ring.     After 


MONT  LE  PIETE. 


24» 


Mr' 


she  bad  left  it,  there  walked  up  to  the  pawning  hole,  leading 
a  thin  dog  by  a  very  old  bit  of  string,  a  young  girl,  who  do- 
posited  a  spoon.  There  were  four  or  five  other  women, 
all  of  whom,  as  well  as  myself,  became  cognizant  of  every 
article  that  was  brought  to  be  pawned. 

Within  the  window  before  me,  as  well  as  within  that  of  the 
chamber  I  had  just  left,  there  existed,  out  of  sight  of  us  all, 
an  appraiser,  whose  duty  it  is  to  estimate  everything  offered, 
in  order  that  the  regulated  proportion,  namely,  four-fifths  of 
the  value  of  gold  and  silver  articles,  and  two-thirds  of  that 
of  all  other  effects,  might  be  offered  to  the  owner  of  each. 

"  Huit  francs,  Madame  !"*  said  the  man  at  the  window  who 
had  received  the  ring ;  the  poor  woman,  whose  heart  had  no 
doubt  erred  in  over-estimating  its  value,  began  to  grumble  a 
little.  Without  a  moment's  delay  a  voice  from  within  called 
the  next  number  (for  every  article  as  it  is  taken  is  numbered), 
and  the  clerk  in  the  window  briefly  informed  the  woman  to 
whose  property  it  had  applied  the  amount  of  money  she  might 
obtain.  Those  satisfied  with  the  sums  they  were  to  receive 
had  to  appear  before  a  little  door  on  which  was  written  the 
word  "  Caisse,"t  and  underneath  it "  Le  public  n'entre  qu'ik 
I'appel  de  son  numero."|  Accordingly,  on  the  calling  out  of 
each  number,  I  saw  a  poor  person  open  it,  disappear  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  come  out  with  a  yellow  ticket,  an  acknow- 
ledgment by  the  Mont  de  Piet6  of  the  effects  held  in  pawn, 
and  for  which,  from  the.  hands  of  the  cashier  within,  at  a 
wire-work  grating,  covered  with  green  dingy  stuff,  upon  which 
is  inscribed  "  Parlez  bas,  S.  V.  P.,"^  she  received  her  money. 
There  exist  several  bureaux  similar  to  those  above  described. 

Having  very  cursorily  witnessed  the  manner  in  which^ 
with  the  assistance  of  one  "  succursale,"  two  other  auxiliary 
ofl&ces,  and  twenty-two  commissions,  established  in  different 
quarters  of  the  city,  the  Mont  de  Piete  of  Paris  has  received 
on  an  average  of  the  last  fifteen  years,  1,313,000  articles,  on 
which  it  has  advanced  per  annuum  22,860,000  francs,  averag- 
ing 17  francs  40  centimes  for  each,  I  proceeded  to  a  different 
part  of  the  building,  upon  which  is  inscribed  "  Comptoir  da 

*  Eight  francs,  Ma'am  I 
f  Cashier's  office, 
j:  No  one  to  enter  until  his  number  is  called. 
§  Speak  softly,  if  you  please  1 


246 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


1ft  Deliverance,"*  in  which  I  entered  a  large  gloomy  room, 
full  of  benches,  separated  by  an  iron  rail  from  a  narrow  pas- 
sage leading  close  round  the  walls  of  two  sides  of  the  apart- 
ment to  a  small  window.  By  this  simple  arrangement  no  one 
can  take  his  seat  on  the  parterre  of  benches  until  he  has  re- 
ceived from  this  little  window,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  re- 
payment of  the  money  he  had  borrowed,  a  small  ticket,  on 
T^ioh  is  inscribed  his  "  numero,"  and  which  forms  his  passport 
through  a  narrow  wicket-gate,  sufficient  only  for  the  passage 
of  one  person  to  the  benches,  in  front  of  which  is  a  long  square 
opening,  which  can  be  closed  by  a  sliding  shutter. 

On  the  right  of  the  benches,  on  which  were  seated  in  mute 
silence  "about  twenty  persons,  many  of  whom  were  very  res- 
piectably  dressed  (one  was  a  poor  woman  with  a  baby  fast 
asleep  on  her  lap,  or  rather,  on  the  brink  of  her  knees,  for  al- 
though her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  it,  she  did  not  touch  it  with 
either  of  her  hands),  was  inscribed  on  the  walls  the  following 
notice : — 

"Toute  personne  qui  aura  attendu  pendant  troie  quarts  d'heuve  la  re- 
mise d'un  nantissemeat  est  pri^e  de  se  plaindi-e  de  ce  retard  k  Messieurs 
les  Chefs  du  Service  du  Magasin."f 

At  the  large  open  window  stood  an  employe  who  succes- 
sively called  out  the  numero  of  each  person  seated  before  him. 
In  oDedience  to  his  voice,  I  saw  one  respectably  dressed  wo- 
man rise  from  a  bench,  walk  up  to  him,  produce  her  numero, 
in  return  for  which  he  handed  over  to  her  a  bundle  of  clothing 
and  a  cigar-case.  To  another  woman,  on  the  production  of 
her  num6ro-paper,  he  professionally  rolled  out  upon  the  coun- 
ter about  a  dozen  silver  spoons ;  in  short,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  act  of  pawning,  everybody  saw  what  everybody  received. 

One  respectable-looking  woman  of  about  forty,  dressed  in 
deep  moummg  and  in  a  clean  cap,  on  untying  the  bundle  of 
liner  which  she  had  just  redeemed,  and  which,  in  the  moment 
of  adversity,  she  had  negligently  huddled  together,  carefully 
folded  up  everv  article,  and  then  packed  it  in  a  clean  basket, 
the  lid  of  which  was  held  open  for  the  purpose  by  a  nice 

♦  Delivering  Department 

f  Any  person  who  shall  have  waited  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for 
the  restoration  of  his  pawned  goods  is  requested  to  make  a  ccmplaiut  of 
the  same  to  the  Superiuteudento. 


MONT  DE  PIETE. 


247 


little  girl  at  her  side : — the  storm  had  blown  over  and  sun- 
shine had  returned ! 

As  soon  9A  each  transaction  was  concluded,  the  recipient 
of  the  goods  departed  with  them  through  a  door  pointed  out 
by  the  words  "  Degagemens  sortie."  In  the  vicinity  is  ano- 
ther hall,  similar  to  that  just  described. 

For  the  redemption  of  articles  of  jewellery  a  rather  dif- 
ferent arrangement  is  pursued.  At  the  end  of  a  long  passage 
T  observed  written  upon  the  wall  the  words  "  D6Uvrance  des 
effets."*  Close  to  this  inscription  appeared  three  windows, 
over  which  were  respectively  written — 1*"  Division,  2""  Divi- 
sion, S""*  Division.  To  prevent  applicants  from  crowding  be- 
fore these  windows  there  had  been  constructed  in  front  of 
them  a  labyrinth  of  barriers  reaching  to  the  ceiling,  of  the 
following  form : — 


■Wi»d<M,' 


-Window,  • 


'Window.- 


Far  Ststranitt  okly. 


Onlp. 

irtatUk 

to  git  «ul. 


Pmiag* 

only. 


By  this  simple  sort  of  sheepfold  management,  characteris- 
tic of  the  arrangements  which  at  Paris  in  all  congregations 
for  business  or  amusement  are  made  to  insure  the  public  from 
rude  pressure,  every  "erson  in  the  order  in  which  he  arrives 
successively  reaches  the  line  of  windows,  from  which,  on  the 
presentation  of  his  number  paper,  is  restored  to  him  the  ar- 
ticles of  jewellery  he  had  pledged.  There  exist  seven  bu- 
reaux of  this  description. 

In  another  portion  of  the  building,  on  the  ground-floor,  I 
visited  the  department  for  "  Renouvellemens,"  in  which  in  a 
number  of  very  little  rooms  I  found  a  quantity  of  mustachioed 
clerks  writing.     The  approach  to  this  department,  the  priuci- 

"  '"  *  The  delivery  of  articlea. 


248 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENGH  STICKS. 


pal  duty  of  which  is  to  renew  the  duplicates  of  those  unable  to 
redeem  goods  according  to  their  engagements,  is  guarded  from 
pressure  by  a  series  of  barriers  such  as  have  just  been  deli- 
neated. 

There  are  throughout  France  forty-five  Monts  de  Pilt^, 
conducted  on  the  principles  above  described.  In  1847  thero 
were  pledged  therein  3,400,087  articles,  valued  at  48,922,251 
francs. 

A  system  of  such  extensive  operation  must,  of  course,  be 
liable  to  error,  and  occasionally  to  fraud.  I  must  own,  how- 
ever, that  although  the  interior  of  the  Monve  de  PietS  was  re- 
pulsive to  witness,  I  left  its  central  establishment  with  an  im- 
pression which  reflection  has  strengthened  rather  than  removed 
—that  that  portion  of  the  community  of  any  country,  whose 
necessities  force  them  occasionally  to  pawn  their  effects,  bave 
infinitely  less  to  fear  from  an  establishment  guided  by  fixed 
principles,  and  open  every  day  from  nine  till  four  to  the  pub- 
lic, than  they  would  be — and  in  England  are — in  transacting  U 
the  same  business  in  private,  cooped  with  an  indiyidual  who, 
to  say  the  least,  may  encourage  the  act  which  nothing  but  cruel 
necesuity  can  authorize. 


-♦-•-•- 


THE  CHIFFONNIER. 


•| 


At  both  sides  of  every  street  in  Paris,  at  a  distance  of  a  few 
feet  from  the  foot-pavement,  and  at  intervals  of  twenty  or 
thirty  yards,  are  deposited  from  about  five  to  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  a  series  of  small  heaps  of  rubbish,  which  it  is  not 
at  all  fashionable  to  look  at.  Every  here  and  there,  stooping 
over  one  of  these  little  mounds,  there  stands  a  human  figure 
that  nobody  cares  about.  By  nearly  eight  o'clock  the  rubbish 
and  the  figures  have  all  vanished.  By  the  above  process 
twenty  thousand  people,  termed  chiffonniers,  maintain  them- 
selves and  their  families  ;  and  as  I  therefore,  notwithstanding 
the  furious  part  they  have  taken  in  the  various  revolutions, 
could  not  help  feeling  some  interest  in  the  subject  of  their 
avocation,  in  my  early  w:  ^  I  occasionally,  for  a  few  seconds, 
watched  the  process. 

As  soon  as  the  heaps  Ovjin  to  be  deposited,  for  they  are 


THE  CniFFONNlEIi. 


249 


ejected  from  the  various  houses  very  irregularly,  there  are  to 
be  seen  in  eaoh  street  two  or  three  men  and  women  walking 
upright  with,  at  their  backs,  a  long  narrow  basket,  rising  a  few 
inches  above  their  shoulders.  In  their  right  hand  they  carry 
— swinging  it  as  they  walk — a  little  thin  stick,  about  a  yard 
long,  with  an  iron  pointed  hook  at  the  end  of  it.  Bending  over 
a  heap,  each  ohiffonnier  first  of  all  rakes  it  open  with  his  stick, 
and  then,  with  great  dezterity,  striking  the  sharp  hook  into 
whatever  he  deems  to  be  of  value,  he  whisks  it  high  over  his 
right  shoulder  into  the  basket  or  '^  back.  The  object  is  to 
get  the  first  choice  of  every  heap  ;  and  accordingly,  while  the 
chiffonnier  is  greedily  hastening  from  one  to  another,  the  heaps 
he  or  she  has  scratched  abroad  are  often  almost  immediately 
afterwards  again  overhauled  by  another.  The  contention  is 
one  of  considerable  excitement ;  and  although  it  was  appa- 
rently conducted  by  the  chifibnniers  under  certain  rules  of 
their  own,  I  one  morning  saw  an  old  woman,  wearing  black 
gloves,  bright  gold  ear-rings,  and  a  handkerchief  wound  round 
her  head,  like  a  vulture  at  its  prey,  drive  away  with  great  fury 
from  the  heap  she  was  scratching  at  a  young  chifibnnier  boy 
of  about  fourteen,  who,  at  a  few  yards  distance,  stood,  wolf-like, 
eyeing  and  longing  to  approach  it. 

As  their  time  was  valuable,  I  did  not  like  to  trouble  them 
while  they  were  at  work  with  any  questions,  but  I  told  a  com- 
missionnaire  to  select  one  of  experience  and  good  character, 
and  to  bring  him  to  my  lodgings  after  his  work  was  done. 
Accordingly,  two  or  three  days  afterwards,  as  I  was  sitting  in 
my  room  writing^  a  hard  lean  knuckle  struck  my  door,  and,  on 
my  calling  out  "  Entrez,"  *  there  appeared  at  it  my  commis- 
sionnaire,  dressed  in  his  usual  suit  of  blue  velvet,  and  a  slight, 
thin,  erect  old  man,  in  a  blouse,  whom  he  informed  me  was  the 
chiffonnier  I  wanted.  The  introducer,  with  a  slight  bow,  in- 
stantly retired,  shutting  the  door,  close  to  which  the  poor  man . 
remained  standing. 

"  Avancez,  mon  ami !"  t  I  said  to  him,  pointing  to  a  chair 
beside  me.  For  some  time  he  seemed  very  unwilling  to  do  so : 
at  last  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  sit  down ;  and,  as  he  was  evi- 
dently alarmed  at  the  sight  of  me,  my  papers,  my  pens  and 
my  ink,  I  talked  to  him  about  the  weather,  and  about  the  f6te, 
until  by  degrees  he  became  comparatively  at  his  ease. 


*Come  in! 


\V 


f  Come  forward,  mv  friend  I 


ll 


250 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FUFNCIT  S'PIOKS. 


His  manner  was  exceedingly  modest,  mild,  and  gentle  ,  and 
althongh  he  was  very  oourly  dressed,  he  had  under  his  faded 
blouse  a  white  and  almost  a  clean  shirt. 

He  told  me  he  wr.fl  fifty-nine  years  of  age — he  looked  se- 
venty— and  that  fourteen  years  ago,  having  "astained  an  injury 
which  incapacitated  him  from  1  '•.v^  work,  he  purchased  from 
the  police,  for  forty  sous,  the  plaquet  of  a  chiffonnier,  which 
was  on  his  breast,  and  to  which  he  pointed.  It  was  a  round 
brass  plate,  bearing  in  hieroglyphics — which,  although  he  could  ^ 
not  decipher  them,  were  no  doubt  well  enough  understood  by 
the  poUoe — the  following  description  of  his  person,  &o  : — 


W 


With  reference  to  his  vocation,  he  informed  me  that,  by 
a  law  among  themselves,  the  heap  from  every  house  is  consi- 
dered to  belong  to  the  first  chiffonnier  that  reaches  it,  but  that 
they  usually  work  constantly  in  the  same  districts,  where  they 
are  known. 

My  principal  object  was  to  ascertain  what  were  the  articles 
they  obtained,  and,  although  I  fully  expected  my  friend,  would 
be  exceedingly  eloquent  and  well  informed  on  the  subject,  I 
had  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  in  extracting  it  from  him. 

"  But  what  do  you  get  from  these  heaps  ?"  I  repeated  to  him 
for  the  third  time. 

"  Tout  ce  qu'il  y  a  !  Monsieur,"  *  he  replied,  in  a  fajnt,  gen- 
tle voice. 

^  <'  And  of  what  is  that  composed  ?''  I  repeated,  also  for  the ' 
third  time. 

*  All  thai  there  is !     ' ' 


THE  CHIFFONmER. 


251 


'^Toutes  flortei  de  ohoses,"*  he  answered;  and  when 
pressed  for  an  explanation  he  again  added,  with  a  shrug  of 
despair,  as  if  I  was  torturing  him  with  most  difficult  <|ue8tionS| 
"  Enfin,  Monsieur,  je  ramasse  tout  ce  qui^'il  y  a  !"  f 

At  last,  by  slow  degrees.  I  extracted  from  him  that ''  toutes 
sortes  de  choses"  was  composed  of  the  following  articles,  sold 
by  the  ohiffonniers  at  the  undermentioned  prices : — 

Bones        .        .        . 
Sci'ops  of  paper 
GhiffoDB  (I'Offs)  ot  linen 
Ditto  of  clow 
Bits  of  iron 
Broken  glass 
Brass        .        . 
Broken  china    . 
Old  shoes 
Old  clothes 


8  francs 

per 

100  kilos. 

0 

*  »» 

80 

•> 

2i 

•> 

8 

n 

H 

» 

120 

n 

20 

n 

>>     according  to  their  value. 

Corks  of  wine-bottles  sold  to  the  chemists,  who> 
out  them  into  phial  corks     . 


[2i 


The  rest  of  the  rubbish,  consisting  principally  of  salad,  cab- 
bage, beans,  refuse  of  vegetables,  straw,  ashes,  cinders,  &c.,  con- 
sidered by  chiffoniers  to  be  of  no  value,  is,  at  about  eight 
o'clock,  carried  away  in  the  carts  of  the  police. 

He  told  me  that  sometimes  the  ohiffonniers  pick  up  articles 
of  great  value,  which  they  are  required  to  return  to  the  houses 
from  which  the  rubbish  had  proceeded,  in  failure  of  which  the 
police  deprives  them  of  their  plaquet.  A  few  weeks  since  he 
himself  had  restored  to  a  lady  a  silver  spoon,  thrown  away  with 
the  salad  in  which  it  had  lam  concealed.  ~  Some  years  ago,  a 
chiffounier,  he  said,  found  and  restored  to  its  owner  a  portfolio 
containing  bank  bills  amounting  in  value  to  20,000  francs.  If 
they  find  coin,  they  keep  it.  He  informed  me  that  on  an  aver^ 
age  he  found  a  silver  ten-sous  i)ieoe  about  once  a  fortnight: 
"  Mais !"  said  he,  very  mildly,  with  a  light  shrug,  <'  qa  depend 
de  la  Providence."!  He  added  that  the  ohiffonniers  of  Paris 
worked  during  the  hours  at  which  people  put  out  their  rubbish, 
namely,  from  five  in  the  morning  till  ten ;  and  at  night  from 
sunset  till  eleven ;  that  the  latter  hours  were  contrary  to  the 
regulations  of  the  police,  but  that,  as  it  was  the  habit,  they 
were  always  in  attendance.  Lastly,  he  informed  me  that  the 
unmarried  ohiffonniers  principally  lodge  in  the  Faubourg  St. 

-  *  All  sorts  of  thinssl        f  In  short,  Sir,  I  pick  up  all  thtft  there  is! 
:|;  But  that  dependft^on  iSrovidenceh 


252 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Maroel,  where  they  obtain  half  a  bed  for  from  two  to  four  souf 
a  night,  which  they  are  required  to  pay  in  adyanoe. 

I  asked  him  how  much  the  chiffonniers  obtained  per  day. 
He  replied  that  the  value  of  the  refuse  depended  a  good  deal 
on  the  district,  and  that  aooordinglv  they  gained  from  ten  to 
thirty  sous  per  day,  according  to  the  localities  in  which  they 
worked.  He  added  that  for  several^ears  he  himself  had  gained 
thirty  sous  a  day,  but  that  since  the  departure  of  Louis  Phi' 
lippe  he  had  not,  on  an  average,  gained  fifteen.  ''  In  the  month 
01  February,"  he  said,  "  we  did  nothing,  parceque  le  monde 
B'6taitretir6."* 

"  But  now  that  tranquillity  is  restored,"  said  I, "  how  comes 
it  that  you  do  not  gain  your  thirty  sous  as  before  ?  " 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  depuis  la  revolution  le  monde  est 
plus  6oonome;  la  consommation  est  moins  grande  dans  les 
cuisines ;  on  jette  moins  d'os  et  de  papier  dans  les  rues."t  He 
added  that  some  families  that  used  to  consume  ten  pounds  of 
meat  a  day  subsisted  now  on  only  four,  and  consequently  that 
the  chiffonnier  loses  like  the  butcher. 

"  Si  la  tranquillity  vient,  nous  ferons  peut-^tre  quelque  chose ; 
mais,"  he  added,  very  pensively,  and  apparently  without  the 
slightest  idea  of  the  important  moral  contained  in  the  words 
he  was  about  to  utter,  "  quand  il  n'y  a  pas  de  luxe,  on  ne  fait 
rion  !"t  (a  shrug). 

<'  What  a  lesson,"  said  I  to  myself, — looking  at  his  brass 
plaquet,  faded  blouse,  and  pale,  sunken  cheeks,  which,  beneath 
his  thin  whiskers,  kept  quivering  as  he  talked, — ^''  am  I  receiv- 
ing in  the  Capital  of  the  Republic  of  France  from  a  poor,  half- 
starved  chiffonnier !  What  would  the  Radical  Members  of 
both  Houses  of  the  British  Parliament,  who  unintentionally 
would  level  the  distinction  and  wealth  they  I  'imselves  are  en- 
joying, say,  if  they  could  but  hear  from  the  lips  oi'  this  street 
scavenger  the  practical  truth  that,  when  they  shall  have  succeed- 
ed, they  will  deprive,  not  Qnly  the  lower,  but  the  ve/y  lowest 
classes  of  their  community,  of  one  half  of  the  sustenance  they 
are  now  receiving  from  the  '  luxury'  of  the  rich  I "      , 

♦  Because  everybody  had  left. 

f  Sir,  since  the  revolution  people  have  become  more  economical ;  the 
consumption  in  their  kitchens  is  lees ;  people  throw  less  bones  and  paper 
into  the  streets. 

%  If  tranquillity  comes,  we  shall,  perhaps,  do  something;  but  when 
thitXQ  is  no  luxury  we  can  do  nothing. 


MY  LODGING. 


On  my  return  from  my  stroll,  at  about  ten  o'clock  p.m.  of 
the  day  of  my  arrival  in  Paris,  to  Meurice's  well-appointed 
hotel,  I  was  conducted  by  one  of  the  waiters  to  my  "  apparte- 
ment ;"  and  as  on  introducing  myself  to,  or,  to  speak  more 
correctly,  into  its  bed,  I  found  it  to  be  a  particularly  warm, 
comfortable  poultice,  which  seemed  to  draw  from  my  body 
and  bones  every  ache  or  sensation  of  fatigue,  I  soon  ceased 
to  admire  it,  France,  England,  or  indeed,  any  body  or  any 
thing. 

"  Heaven  bless  the  man  who  first  invented  sleep !" 

The  next  morning  early,  awakening  quite  refreshed,  and 
with  a  keen  appetite  for  novelty  of  any  description,  I  was 
amused  to  find  not  only  that  I  myself  had  become,  and  as  I 
lay  in  my  bed  was,  a  great  curiosity,  but  that  apparently  the 
whole  hotel  was  looking  at  me  !  My  room,  an  exceedingly 
small  one,  on  the  middle  floor  of  six  stories,  owned  only  one 
blindless,  shutterless,  window,  upon  which,  from  above,  from 
beneath,  from  the  right,  and  from  the  left,  glared,  stared,  and 
squinted,  the  oblong  eyes  of  the  windows  of  three  sides  of  a 
hollow  square,  so  narrow  that  it  appeared  like  an  air-shaft, 
excavatP'l  in  the  middle  of  the  enormous  building  of  which 
in  fact,  it  was  the  lantern. 

On  each  side  of  my  window,  like  the  lace  frills  on  either 
side  of  a  lady's  cap,  there  elegantly  hung  a  slight  thin  mus- 
lin curtain ;  but,  as  in  point  of  fortification  this  was  utterly 
inadequate  for  the  defences  I  required,  I  ventured  after 


254 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FREJStn  STICKS. 


w 


breakfast  to  ask  for  a  larger  room  that  looked  anywhere  but 
into  that  square. 

Nothing  could  be  more  polite  than  M.  Meurice  iras  on 
the  subject,  but  eighty  thousand  strangers  had  flocked  to 
Paris  to  attend  the  grand  F^te  of  the  Republic :  his  hotel 
was  perfectly  full ;  and  as  it  was  evidently  impossible  for 
him  to  alter  figures  or  facts,  I  sallied  forth  to  seek  what  I 
wanted  elsewhere. 

My  applications  were  at  first  to  the  best  hotels,  then  to 
the  middling  ones,  and  at  last  to  the  worst ;  but  good,  bad, 
or  indifferent,  they  were  all  full.  "  Monsieur,  il  n'y  a  pas  de 
place  !"*  with  a  quick  shake  of  the  head,  and  with  or  without 
a  shrug,  was  said  to  me  not  only  everywhere,  but  usually  on 
the  threshold.  , 

Finding  it  impossible  to  obtain  shelter  in  a  caravansary, 
I  determined  to  take  refuge  in  a  lodging,  and  observing  on  a 
board  close  to  me  the  very  words  I  was  in  search  of,  namely,  \\ 
"  Chambres  a  louer,"t  rang  at  the  bell.  On  the  door  opening 
of  itself  I  walked  into  a  clean4ooking  court,  and  addressing 
the  concierge  I  had  scarcely  said  two  words  when,  as  if  she 
had  become  suddenly  and  violently  disgusted  with  me,  she 
shook  her  head,  waved  her  hand  before  my  face,  and  said, 
"  Non  !  Non  ! !  Non  ! ! !  Monsieur !"  and  turning  on  her  heel 
left  me. 

I  had  gcarcely  .proceeded  along  the  same  street — the  Rue 
de  Rivoli — ^fifty  yards,  when  I  had  come  to  an  exactly  simi- 
lar announcement,  and  as,  on  ringing  the  bell,  I  was  vvery 
nearly,  as  before,  interrupted  by  the  same  signs,  the  same 
actions,  and  the  same  demonstrations  of  disgust,  I  asked  the 
porter,  with  a  very  small  proportion  of  his  own  impatience,  **' 
why,  if  he  had  no  lodgings,  he  continued  to  display  his  board  ? 
"  Pas  garnies.  Monsieur  \"\  he  briefiy  replied,  and  he  then 
very  civilly  and  good-humouredly  explained  to  me  that,  had 
I  not  been  a  stranger,  I  should  have  known  that^  from  his 
advertisement  being  on  white  paper,  whereas,  by  an  order  of 
the  police,  rooms  to  be  let  furnished  must  invariably  be 
placarded  in  yellow. 

Brimful  of  knowledge,  I  now  felt  myself  to  be  a  Parisian, 
and  accordingly,  shinning  the  alluring  invitations  of  several 
white  boards,  I  determined  with  an  air  of  importance,  to  pull 

*  No  room,  Six* !  f  Lodginga  to  let.  %  Not  furnished.  . 


.11 


MY  LODOIJSVS, 


255 


l\\ 


&t  tho  bell  of  a  yellow  board.  In  vain,  however,  I  gearohed 
for  one ;  and  although  I  was  quite  dcterminea  to  eraanci 
pate  myself  from  the  domination  of  those  three  Argus-eyed 
walls,  the  windows  of  which  were  still  haunting  me,  I  was 
beginning  almost  to  despair,  when,  on  passing  a  commis* 
eionnairo  sitting  reading  a  newspaper  at  the  corner  of  a 
street,  I  enlisted  him  in  my  service,  and  then  told  him  what 
I  wanted. 

"  Menez,  Monsieur  !"*  he  said  with  a  smile  which  at  once 
promised  success :  and  sure  enough,  after  walking  and  talk- 
ing for  some  little  time,  ho  suddenly  halted  before  a  yellow 
board,  on  which  were  beautif.  Uy  imprinted  the  words  I 
wanted. 

By  the  daughter  of  the  concierge  I  w;.f'  conducted  up  a 
broad  stone  staircase  composed  of  innur«erable  short  flights 
of  steps  and  little  landing  or  puffing  places  up  to  viie  veiy  top 
of  the  house,  where  I  was  introduced  to  the  f  i  o^rietress,  a 
pleasing-looking,  respectable,  short  lady  aged  about  for*y.  to 
whom,  without  hesitation,  apology,  or  o-  liminary  ol-orva- 
tions  of  any  sort,  I  at  once,  in  French,  popi>ed  the  important 
question, 

"  Have  you,  Madame,  a  furnished  apartment  to  let?" 

Not  only  her  mouth,  but  her  eyes,  and  every  feature  in  her 
healthy  countenance,  said  "  Oui,  Monsieur  I" 

On  my  asking  her  to  allow  me  to  seo  the  room,  she  con- 
ducted me  towards  a  door  on  the  upper  floor,  on  which  she 
herself  resided.  On  opening  it  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  its  inte- 
rior pdssessed  all  the  qualifications  of  the  simple  hermitage  I 
desired.  Nothing  could  overlook  me  but  the  blue  slated  roof 
of  the  houses  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  broad,  clean,  handsome 
Rue  de ,  one  of  the  fine  it  streets  in  Paris. 

Outside  the  window,  which  opened  down  to  the  floor,  was 
a  narrow  promenade,  that  ran  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
street,  and  which,  in  oas*>  of  fire,  would,  said  I  to  myself,  fully 
atone  for  the  extra  tr'^uble  in  ascending  to  such  a  height.  A 
secretaire  with  shelves,  two  chests  of  drawers,  a  cupboard,  and 
a  clock,  were  exactly  the  sort  of  companions  I  wished  to  live 
with ;  and  accordingly,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  I  told 
the  landlady  I  should  be  delighted  to  ei^age  her  apartments. 
As,  however,  instead  of  looking  as  happy  as  I  looked,  there 


*  This  way,  Sh- 1 


256 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


was  something  latent  in  her  heart  which  evidently  remained  to 
be  divulged,  I  feared  I  had  been  too  abrupt  in  concluding  my 
arrangements  in  so  few  words.  At  last,  out  it  came  that  she 
had  a  similar  apartment,  two  stories  lower,  which  was  also  at 
my  service  in  case  I  should  prefer  it. 

Now  I  had  taken  such  a  fancy  to  the  atrial  abode  in  which 
I  stood,  that  I  felt  quite  disappointed  at  her  intelligence. 
However,  as  in  Paris  high  life  is  low  life,  and  low  life  high 
life — that  is  to  say,  as  it  is  reckoned  a  fine  thing  to  live  very 
near  the  earth,  and  unfashiona][)le  to  approach  the  blue  sky — 
I  descended  with  her  to  the  second  story  of  her  house,  where 
she  introduced  me  to  an  apartment,  a  secretaire  with  shelves, 
two  chests  of  drawers,  a  cupboard,  and  a  clock,  all  exactly  like 
those  I  had  left,  excepting  they  were  all  decidedly  better 
dressed.  The  floor  was  more  slippery,  the  furniture  more 
highly  polished,  the  dial  more  richly  gilt ;  lastly,  in  the  price 
of  the  whole  there  decidedly  existed  more  silvei'. 

Had  I  been  fairly  left  to  myself  I  should  have  remained 
faithful  to  my  first  attachment ;  but  Fashion,  Folly,  and  Pride, 
first  joining  together  hand  in  hand  and  then  dancing  around 
me,  bewildered  me  with  such  a  variety  of  false  reasons,  that, 
S3eing  the  landlady  was  also  entirely  on  their  side,  I  ended 
the  short  unequal  struggle  by  telling  her  I  would  abandon  the 
apartment  above  for  that  in  which  1  stood.  "  Bien,  Mon- 
sieur !"  *  she  replied,  with  placid  satisfaction  ;  and,  as  I  had 
now  become  her  lodger,  instead  of  acting  as  if  she  felt  that 
nothing  remained  but  to  get  her  rent  and  as  much  as  she 
could  besides,  she  instantly  evinced  a  desire  to  shield  me. from 
every  possible  imposition  and  to  render  me  every  friendly 
assistance  in  her  power — duties,  or  rather  virtues,  which, 
during  my  residence  under  her  roof,  she  unremittingly  per- 
formed. 

As  my  hotel  was  scarcely  a  hundred  yards  off,  I  returned 
there  for  my  portmanteau  and  letter-box,  and  after  parting 
with  M.  Meurice,  who  again  very  civilly  expressed  his  regret 
at  his  utter  inability  to  accommodate  me,  I  put  my  small 
amount  of  luggage  into  a  voiture  de  place,  and,  walking  by  its 
side,  returned  to  my  own  street,  my  own  porte-cochere,  my  own 
concierge,  my  own  staircase,  and — on  entering  my  apartment 
and  dismissing  the  porter  who  had  followed  with  my  baggage 
to  my  own  home. 

*  Very  good,  Sir  I 


W 


Mr  LODGINGS. 


257 


Everything  within  it  looked  quiet,  comfortable,  and  sub- 
stantial ;  and  as  in  the  book  of  one's  every-daj  life  there  is  no- 
thing like  beginning  from  the  very  beginning,  before  I  allowed 
myself  to  go  into  the  street,  or  even  to  look  out  of  my  window 
at  the  charming  novelties — for  every  thing  in  Paris  was  new 
to  my  eyes — that  were  passing  and  repassing,  I  unpacked  my 
little  property,  put  my  clothes  into  my  two  chests  of  drawers, 
my  papers  into  my  secretaire,  my  portfolio,  inkstand,  pens,  and 
pencil  on  a  good- sized  table,  and  then,  completing  my  arrange- 
ments by  carrying  to  and  placing  before  the  latter  a  comforta- 
ble arm-chair,  like  Robinson  Crusoe  I  looked  around  me  with 
an  inward  satisfaction  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe ;  and 
I  was  standing  very  much  in  the  attitude  of  a  young  artist 
joyously  admiring  the  painting  he  has  just  concluded,  when, 
with  great  velocity,  there  shot  past  my  nose — to  tell  the  truth, 
it  actually  hit  it — an  arrow  of  air,  about  a  foot  long,  but  no 
thicker  than  a  piece  of  packthread,  that  did  not  smell  as  it 
ought  to  do.  "  It  is  the  breath  of  envy,"  said  I  to  myself, 
«  mortified  at  my  happiness  !"  and  discarding  the  green-eyed 
monster  from  my  thoughts,  and  again  admiring  my  location,  I 
bade  it  a  short  adieu,  and  descended  into  the  street. 

At  about  six  o'clock  I  returned  to  my  apartment,  and,  like 
a  young  lover,  was  again  admiring  its  charms,  when  another 
little  arrow,  from  an  unpleasant  quiver,  flew  by  mfe. 

"  It's  all  fancy !"  said  I  to  myself;  "  it  can't  come  from 
my  kind  landlady,  nor  from  my  che&ts  of  drawers.  I'm  two 
stories  above  the  drains,  and  two  stories  below  the  gutters  of 
this  world.  Paris  is  outside  my  window,  and  a  passage  outside 
my  door.  The  thing" — I  did  not  know  exactly  what  to  call 
it — "  is  impossible."  , 

I  had  a  most  amusing  dinner.  I  had  left  it  entirely  to  my 
landlady  to  decide  what  was  good  for  me ;  and  as  I  sat  alone, 
sometimes  I  could  scarcely  help  laughing  aloud  at  her  prescrip- 
tion, and  from  the  end  of  a  silver  fork  I  was  placing  between 
my  lips  a  small  portion  of  one  of  the  unknown  ingredients,  for 
the  purpose  of  analysing  its  composition,  when,  as  nearly  as  I 
could  guess,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  above  it  there  whizzed  by 
another  very  little  arrow.  In  less  than  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye  it  had  completely  passed,  and  where  it  had  come  from,  or 
where  it  had  gone  to,  I  was  alike  utterly  ignorant. 

After  dinner  I  rambled  about  the  streets  until  il  was  time 


• 


258 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCE  STICKS. 


to  go  to  my  bed,  which  proved  clean  and  comfortable.  In  tho 
morning— quite  contrary  to  my  habit — I  awoke  with  a  slight 
headache,  and  I  was  lying  on  my  back  conscientiously. recapitu- 
lating the  nameless  items  of  my  dinner,  when  there  rushed 
past  the  uppermost  feature  of  my  face,  not  an  arrow,  but  a 
javelin. 

During  the  day,  on  being  half  a  dozen  times  similarly  as- 
sailed, I  became  slightly  dispirited  for  a  few  moments,  until, 
rallying  my  forces, — I  mean  looking  at  my  chests  of  drawers, 
secretaire,  and  other  comforts  that  surrounded  me, — and  nmt-  \ 
tering  the  words  "  home,  sweet  home !"  I  determined  during  the  ; 
day  not  to  notice  the  contemptible  little  demon  that  was  assail- ; 
ing  me,  but  at  night  to  remove  my  bedding  from  its  alcove  to  * 
the  floor  near  the  window.     I  did  so ;  but  again  awaking  with 
rather  a  worse  headache,  I  felt  it  was  in  vain  to  endeavour  to 
hold  out,  and  that  I  had  therefore  better  at  once  sound  a  re- 
treat.    Accordingly,  ringing  my  bell,  I  requested  the  garqon  \sk ' 
ascertain  whether  Madame  would  be  visible  to  me  % 

In  a  few  minutes  she  entered  my  room,  with  the  same 
placid  smile  which  had  adorned  her  countenance  when  it  last 
left  me. 

"  What,"  she  kindly  inquired,  "  could  she  do  to  serve  me  ?" 

It  required  the  whole  of  my  resolution,  and,  indeed,  almost 
more  than  T  possessed,  to  answer  her  friendly  query  by  telling 
her,  in  broken  sentences  and  in  faltering  accents,  that  the  room 
was  in  every  respect  all  I  could  desire,  "  but  that    ...     it 

.    .    .    had    .    .     .    at  times a  very  unpleasant 

smell." 

"  Noiij  Monsieur !"  she  replied,  with  great  gentleness.  I 
assured  her  it  was  the  case. 

'•  Non,  Monsieur !"  she  replied,  with  greater  gentleness. 

"  Madame,"  said  I,  "  it  has  twice  over  given  me  a  headache, 
from  which,"  laying  my  right  hand  flat  on  my  forehead,  "  I  am 
suffering  at  this  moment." 

"  Non,  Monsieur ! ! !"  she  replied,  so  gently  and  so  faintly 
that  I  could  hardly  hear  it. 

"  But,  Madame,"  I  added,  "  I  have  no  desire  to  leave  you. 
Would  you  be  kind  enough  to  allow  me  to  remove  to  the 
apartment  at  the  top  of  the  house  which  I  first  saw,  for  which 
I  should  wish  to  pay  the  same  as  for  this  one  ?" 

'< Oertainement,  Monsieur!"*  she  replied,  gently  bowing 


*«• 


*  Certainly,  Sir! 


Ttfii'iirniiiirirT  — ■>■— 


mmttm 


MY  LODGINGS. 


26» 


her  bft^'i,  and  looking  as  placid,  as  kind,  and  as  anxious  to 
oblige  me  ajs  ever,  and,  accordingly,  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  with  the  assistance  of  the  garqon  and  a  commissionaire,  not 
only  the  migration  but  the  distribution  of  my  property  was 
effected. 

"  On  retonrne  toujoura,  toujours^ 
A  son  premier  amour  I"* 

From  the  above  anecdote,  trifling  as  it  may  sound,  Mr. 
Chadwick  and  the  Board  of  Health  would  no  doubt  be  able  to 
draw  a  most  important  moral.  Leaving  them,  however,  two 
stories  below  me,  to  trace  to  its  secret  source  a  tiny  cause  which 
in  a  region  high  above  cesspools  and  drains  had  created  a 
stratum  of  impure  air,  which,  had  it  been  inodorous,  I  should 
most  certainly  have  remained  in,  and  which,  in  a  locality  where 
nobody  would  look  for  it,  has  been  and  ever  is  ready  to  nourish 
fever,  I  must  proceed  with  the  history  of  my  new  abode,  the 
outward  appearance  of  which  was,  as  if  in  a  looking-glass, "  veluti 
in  speculum,"  reflected  to  me  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
by  a  range  of  windows  each  forming  a  sort  of  portico,  opening 
to  the  floor  exactly  as  mine  did,  and  communicating  with  a 
narrow  leaded  passage,  protected  by  a  line  of  substantial  iron 
balustrades. 

In  the  roof  above  me  there  was  (at  least  so  I  conjectured 
from  what  I  saw  in  the  opposite  houses)  a  tier  of  garrets  in- 
habited by  human  beings  of  whom  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but 
occasionally  a  hand  pushing  a  few  inches  upwards  a  glass  win- 
dow that  lay  flat  on  the  slates,  and  which  opened  like  a  valve 
at  the  bottom,  the  upper  part  being  fixed  by  two  hinges.  The 
chimneys  were  as  lofty,  and  the  chimney-pots  as  grotesque,  as 
those  in  London,  and  yet  never,  during  the  short  periods  that 
I  looked  at  them,  could  I  see  exuding  from  them  the  slightest 
appearance  of  smoke. 

In  the  handsome,  broad-paved  street,  which,  on  looking 
over  the  balustrades,  appeared  to  be  at  an  immeasurable  dis- 
tance beneath,  were  to  be  heard  the  rattling  of  carriages — the 
rumbling  now  and  then  of  a  heavy  diligence — the  trot  of  cavalry 
— the  beating  of  drums — the  sound  of  bugles ; — in  short,  the 
sense  of  hearing  at  Paris  has  no  protection.  Every  morning, 
from  half -past  seven  till  nine,  martial  music  of  au  sorts  an- 
yone always  retums  to  one's  first  level 


260 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENCH  STICKS. 


nounced  the  inarch  beneath  of  various  bodies  of  troops  to  their 
respective  guard-mountings.  Sometimes  fifteen  soldiers  would 
pass,  preceded  by  a  key-bugle ; — then  eighteen,  headed  by  a 
single  drum. 

As  they  and  their  musical  accompaniment  passed,  I  almost 
invariably — stepping  out  on  the  leads — peeped  over  my  balus- 
trade. A  lady  from  the  window  adjoining  mine  as  regularly  did 
the  same.  I  never  looked  at  her — never  spoke  to  her.  She 
could  have  walked  along  the  leads  into*  my  room,  but  in  the 
exalted  region  in  which  we  lived  it  was  a  point  of  honour  not 
to  do  so,  and  her  honour,  I  am  exceedingly  happy  to  say,  she 
never  broke. 

In  Paris  a  man  may  live  like  a  gentleman  in  all  sorts  of 
ways — in  a  lofty  palace,  or  "  au  sixi^me"  in  a  house  containing 
hall,  parlour,  bedroom,  kitchen,  &c.  all  squatted  as  flat  as  a  pan- 
cake ;  but,  although  the  altitude  of  his  lodging  does  not  depress 
his  position  in  society,  although  rather  au  uncomfortable  smell  . 
in  his  staircase  is  passed  perfectly  unnoticed,  although  economy  \\ 
is  respected,  and  although  a  person  of  small  fortune  in  Paris  is 
never  by  the  French  allowed  to  fed  he  is  poor,  yet  no  wealth 
can  sugar  over  an  ill-mannered  man. 

1  had  hardly  been  in  my  new  domicile  two  hours,  when, 
all  of  a  sudden  there  flitted  by  me,  not  an  arrow  or  a  javelin, 
but,  without  metaphor,  an  exceedingly  strong  smell  of  warm,  . 
nourishing  soup.  Although  almost  in  the  clouds,  I  was  evi- 
dently in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  capital  kitchen  !  "  however," 
said  I  to  myself,  "  I  am  not  to  be  driven  from  a  post  of  im- 
portance by  the  smell  of  hot  onions  !"  indeed,  I  found  I  had 
only  to  contrast  this  smell  with  t'other  one,  quite  to  enjoy  it ; 
during,  however,  my  rfesidenca  in  Paris,  it  never  came  again, 
and  in  every  respect  my  lodging  pleased  me. 

My  housemaid  was  a  lad  of  about  eighteen,  who  used, 
while  he  was  sweeping  the  floor  with  a  hair  broom,  to  polish 
it  with  a  brush  affixed  to  one  of  his  feet.  To  every  wish  I 
expressed  he  had  a  particularly  soft  gentle  way  of  replying, 
"  Bien,  Monsieur  !"  His  only  fault  was,  that  when  I  pulled 
at  my  bell  he  did  not  come ;  but  others,  on  five  different 
jGioors,  were  pulling  for  him  at  the  same  time. 

My  breakfast  consisted  of  a  large  white  cup  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  thick  ;  a  coffee-pot  rot  so  high  as  the  cup  ;  a  shining 
tin  cream-jug,  with  a  little  spout  about  the  thicbiess  of  the 


iii«ri-[rniiiir'i 


MY  LODGINGS. 


261 


small  end  of  an  English  clay  tobacco-pipe ;  a  long  roll,  and, 
on  the  first  day,  one  pat  of  butter  of  about  the  size  of  a 
Spanish  dollar,  and  as  thick  as  the  skin  of  a  mushroom. 

"  More  butter !"  I  exclaimed  in  French. 

"  Shall  I  bring  another  portion  ?"  said  the  garqon. 

"  No  !  half  a  dozen  of  them  !"  I  answered. 

"  Bien,  Monsieur  !"  he  gently  and  politely  replied,  to  an 
order  as  preposterous,  I  dare  say,  in  his  mind,  as  if  I  had 
ordered  for  my  dinner  half  a  dozen  legs  of  mutton. 

Just  within  the  entrance  of  my  porte-cochere  lived  in  a 
small  room  my  concierge,  his  wife,  and  his  daughter.  The 
first  time  I  descended  my  staircase,  the  old  woman,  who  was 
nearly  seventy  years  of  age,  made  a  sign  she  wished  to  speak 
to  me.  On  going  into  her  room,  she  asked  me  to  be  so  good 
as  to  give  her  my  passport,  that  she  might  take  it  to  the 
police  to  apprise  them  of  my  residence  in  the  house.  Hap- 
pening to  have  it  in  my  pocket-book,  I  instantly  complied 
with  her  request,  and  was  about  to  leave  her,  when  she  very 
politely  asked  for  my  card,  in  case  any  person  should  call  to 
see  me.  I  immediately  put  one  into  her  hands.  She  looked 
at  it — handed  it  to  her  old  husband,  who  looked  at  it  too. 
They  then  both  looked  first  at  me — then  at  my  card — ^then 
at  each  other.  They  were  evidently  quite  puzzled.  I  had 
no  gender  !  I  was  not  a  monsieur,  a  madame,  a  mademoiselle, 
ar  admiral,  a  general,  colonel,  captain,  or  lieutenant  I  My 
name  they  could  not  pronounce ;  and  so,  after  turning  it  into 
exactly  twice  its  number  of  syllables,  they  bowed,  and,  with 
a  very  slight  shrug,  placed  the  enigma  on  their  little  mantel- 
piece, to  speak  for  itself 

By  the  time  I  left  Paris  I  had  become  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  my  staircase. 

Within  the  porte-cochere,  and  immediately  opposite  to  the 
tiny  residence  of  the  concierge,  were  two  steps,  leading  to  a 
swinging  glass  door,  behind  which,  on  the  right,  were  ten 
steps,  rising  to  a  landing-place,  on  which  was  a  mat.  From 
it  twelve  steps  led  to  another  landing-place,  in  which,  close  to 
the  ceiling,  was  a  high  window  of  two  panes.  Then  came 
seven  steps,  leading  to  a  landing-place,  on  which  was  a  door 
marked  A.  Then,  again,  ten  to  a  landing-place,  on  which^ 
apparently  for  variety's  sake,  was  a  small  window  of  two 
panes  close  to  the  floor,  also  two  panes  touching  the  ceiling 


262 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


(the  one  too  high  to  look  out  of,  the  other  too  Jow).  Then 
came  seven  to  a  landing-place,  on  which  was  a  mat  and  three 
doors,  on  one  of  which  was  inscribed  "  ler  Stage,"  on  first 
floor.  By  a  similar  series  of  steps,  passages,  and  odd  win- 
dows, I  ascended  to  floors  2,  3,  and  eventually  to  my  aerial 
paradise.  No.  4. 

Within  the  door  marked  "  ler  Etage "  every  lodger 
throughout  the  house  was  expected  to  deposit,  on  a  hook 
numbered  consecutively,  the  key  of  his  room,  which,  whenever 
negligently  left  in  the  door,  was  invariably  brought  to  this' 
rendezvous  by  any  of  the  servants  of  the  house,  or  by 
"  Madame,"  the  instant  they  or  she  discovered  it.  Under  the 
arrangement  just  described  it  of  course  became  necessary  for 
every  lodger  to  call  at  this  point  for  his  key.  I  found  it, 
however,  quite  impossible  during  my  short  residence  in  Paris 
to  learn  this  French  rule,  and  accordingly,  when  after  a 
heavy  day's  walk,  I  had  ascended,  quite  tired,  to  my  door,  I 
almost  invariably  had  to  descend  three  stories  to  get  my 
key,  which  I  had  negligently  passed  in  my  ascent.  As  soon 
as  it  became  dark  every  one  of  these  keys  were  taken  from 
their  hooks  and  deposited,  according  to  their  respective  num- 
bers, each  on  the  brass  bed-room  candlestick  that  belonged  to 
it.  One  evening,  at  twilight,  I  was  looking  among  this  row 
for  my  candle,  which,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  lot,  was  about 
the  thickness  of  my  fore-finger. 

"  Monsieur,"  said  a  servant,  popping  out  of  a  small  room 
adjoining,  and  making  me  a  low  bow,  "  votre  flambeau  n'est 
pas  encore  descendu."* 

On  the  "premier  6tage,"  or  first  floor,  was  a  spacious 
drawing-room,  very  handsom  ly  furnished,  open  to  every 
lodger  in  the  house.  I,  however,  never  entered  it,  and  only 
once  peeped  into  it. 

On  taking  my  first  prescription  from  Dr.  S.  to  the 
chemist,  I  ascertained  that  the  ointment  with  which  I  was  to 
rub  my  forehead  and  temples  four  times  a  day  was  as  nearly 
as  possible  as  black  as  new  ink.  This  affliction,  which  was 
indeed  a  very  great  one,  and  which  lasted  almost  the  whole 
of  the  time  I  was  at  Paris,  seemed  at  first  not  only  to  forbid 
my  seeing  any  sights,  but  to  make  me  a  sight  for  any  (^ne  else 

*  Sir,  your  flambeau  has  not  been  brought  down  yet 


FTrffl'TTrMBB 


MY  LODGINGS. 


263 


to  see ;  however,  after  sitting  in  my  sky-parlour  for  some 
minutes  in  an  attitude  of  deep  reflection,  I  determined  to  dis- 

{>ose,  aud  accordingly  I  did  dispose,  of  my  misfortune  as  fol- 
ows: — 

At  five  I  used  always  to  get  up,  and,  after  my  usual  ablu- 
tions, I  obediently  blackened  myself  in  the  way  prescribed ; 
and,  ornamented  in  this  way.  I  occupied  myself  for  an  hour 
and  a  half  in  writing  out  the  rough  notes  which,  while  walk- 
ing, talking,  and  often  while  rumbling  along  in  'buses,  I  had 
taken  on  the  preceding  day.  At  a  quarter  past  seven  I  un- 
smutted  myself,  and  walked  about  the  streets  until  eight, 
when,  on  returning  to  my  lodging,  I  rubbed  my  forehead 
black  again,  and  sat  down  to  breakfast.  At  a  quarter  before 
ten  I — what  maid-servants  call — ^"  cleaned  myself,"  and,  like 
Dr.  Syntax,  went  forth  in  search  of  the  Picturesque.  At  six 
I  returned,  and  dressed  for  dinner, — that  is  to  say,  I  anointed 
myself  again.  After  my  repast  I  unniggered  my  brow  and 
went  out.  At  ten  o'clock  p.  m.  I  be-devilled  myself  again, 
and,  after  a  sufficient  interval,  ended  the  strange  process  of 
the  day  by  going  to  bed. 

While  I  was  seated  at  breakfast  or  at  dinner,  painted  like 
a  wild  Indian  in  the  extraordinary  way  I  have  described,  it 
repeatedly  happened  that,  after  a  slight  tap,  my  door  was 
opened,  sometimes  by  a  shopman  with  a  band-box,  inquiring 
if  I  had  ordered  a  hat ;  sometimes  by  a  boy,  bringing  a  letter 
addressed  to  he  knew  not  whom ;  and  two  or  three  times  by  a 
lady,  sometimes  an  old  one,  and  sometimes  a  young  one, 
who  called  on  me,  intending  to  call  on  somebody  else.  In  all 
these  cases  a  long  apologetic  dialogue  ensued  ;  and  although 
my  visitors  had  thus  abundant  opportunity  to  observe  my 
grotesque  appearance,  which  in  England  would,  I  truly  be- 
lieve, have  made  even  the  Bishop  of  London  bite  his  lips  or 
smile,  yet  such  is  the  power  of  politeness  in  the  French 
people,  that  in  no  one  instance  did  any  one  of  my  visitors 
allow  me  to  perceive  from  his  or  her  eyes,  or  from  any  feature 
in  his  or  her  countenance,  that  he  or  she  had  even  observed 
the  magpie  appearance  of  my  face. 

While  I  was  following  my  prescription  I  explained  to 
the  concierge  that  in  case  anybody  called — I  had  no  ac- 
quaintances in  Paris — I  was  not  at  home.  When  it  was  over, 
which  was  only  two  days  before  I  returned  to  England,  the 


264 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


old  woman  walked  up  stairs  to  congratulate  mb,  and  then, 
addressing  me  and  my  tiny  apartment,  as  if  we  were  of  vast 
importance,  she  said  to  me,  "  A  present,  Monsieur,  que  vous 
pouvez  recevoir  votre  monde  !"* 

On  the  dr.y  I  left  Paris  I  received  from  my  obliging 
landlady  her  account,  in  which  in  no  instance  was  there  the 
slightest  departure  from  the  agreement  I  had  verbally  made 
with  her.  I  gave  the  servants  and  concierge  what  I  chose, 
but  no  demand  whatever  was  made  upon  me.  And,  "  Adieu, 
Monsieur  I  bon  voyage !  !"t  were  the  last  words  of  the  old 
wife,  as  she  waved  her  shrivelled  hand  to  a  foreigner  whose 
occupations  were  incomprehensible,  whose  appellation  was 
doubtful,  and  whose  name  was  unpronounceable. 


-••«- 


IMPRIMERIE   NATIONALS. 


-1 


In  the  year  1552  Francis  I.  first  established  in  the  Louvre 
an  Imprimerie  Royale,  a  portion  of  which,  under  the  appel- 
lation of  Imprimerie  des  Bulletins  des  Lois,  was  in  1792 
transferred  to  the  Elys6e  Bourbon,  inhabited  at  present  by 
Prince  Louis  Napoleon.  In  1795  these  two  establishments 
were  united  in  the  H6tel  de  Toulouse,  now  the  Bank  of 
France,  and  in  1809  they  were  finally  transferred  to  their' 
present  locality. 

This  public  establishment  is  shown  to  visitors  every 
Thursday,  and  accordingly,  at  ten  minutes  before  the  hour 
"precisely"  indicated  in  the  ordinary  printed  permission 
which,  in  compliance  with  the  advice  contained  ill  Galignani's 
giiide-book,  I  had  obtained,  I  knocked  at  its  gate,  and  walk- 
ing across  a  court  and  up  a  staircase,  I  was  directed  to  go  to 
t)  *  waiting-room,  in  which  I  expected  to  have  found  a  hard 
stool  or  two  to  sit  on,  and  sundry  drops  and  slops  of  ink  on 
the  floor  to  look  at.  However,  on  reaching  the  landing-place 
I  was  shown  into  a  drawing-room  handsomely  carpeted,  con- 

*  Now,  Sir,  that  you  can  receive  the  world  I 
f  Good  bye !  a  good  journey  to  you  I 


JMPJtlMEBIJS  NATtONALE. 


265 


iiJning  foar  pier-glasief.  one  on  each  wall;  a  scarlet  damask 
ottoman:  a  scarlet  olotn  sofa;  fourteen  scarlet  chairs;  sear- 
let  onrtams ;  white  blinds ;  and  in  the  middle  a  fine  mahog- 
any table  covered  with  green  cloth. 

As  I  was  the  sole  monarch  of  all  I  surveyed)  I  reclined 
on  the  sofa,  and  was  admiring  the  arrangements  made  every- 
where in  Paris  for  the  reception  of  straneers,  when  the  door 
opened,  and  in  walked  a  gentleman  with  two  young  ladies, 
wno  had  scaroelv  looked  at  themselves — ^''  vue  et  ajpprQuvSe" 
— in  the  glass  almost  immediately  above  me,  when  m  walked 
four  more  young  ladies  and  a  gentleman,  then  three  middle- 
aged  ladies  and  two  sentlemen. 

As  soon  as  the  clock  of  the  establishment  struck,  there 
stood  at  the  door  a  porter,  making  dumb  signals  to  us  to  ad- 
vance, and  accordingly  nine  bonnets  and  five  black  hats 
hastened  towards  him  into  the  passage,  where  we  found 
waiting,  and  ready  to  conduct  us,  an  exceedingly  pleasing- 
lookinff  intellectual  young  man  of  about  -twenty  years  of  age. 
Everybody,  excepting  myself,  appeared  to  be  in  tiptop  spirits ; 
but  as  the  object  of  my  visit  was  solely  to  make  myself  ac- 
quainted with  a  very  important  establishment,  I  roould  not 
help  for  a  few  moments  inwardly  groaning  when  I  reflected 
that  a  guide  of  twentv  years  of  age  for  thirteen  people—- 
were  he  even  to  be  fairly  divided  among  them  all — ^wouid  be 
equal  only  to  a  sucking  tutor  rather  more  than  a  twelvemonth 
old  for  each ;  besides  which,  it  was  but  too  evident  that  as 
my  nine  sisters,  in  the  exercise  of  their  undoubted  preroga- 
tive, would  very  probably  not  only  constantly  encircle  wie 
young  guide,  but  would  each  and  all  at  once  be  continually 
asking  him  questions  of  different  degrees  of  importance,! 
should  not  only  have  no  instruction  at  all,  but  should  be 
obliged  to  go  through  the  establishment  exactly  at  the  une«» 
qua!  rate  the  nine  ladies  night  prescribe ;  that  I  should  have 
to  stop  whenever  they  stopped,  and,  what  was  still  worse,  to 
hurry  by  whatever  they  happened  at  the  moment  to  feel  in- 
disposea  to  notice. 

As  the  disorder,  however,  was  evidently  incurable,  I  re- 
solved to  join  in  and  get  through  the  merry  dance  aa  well  as 
X  could.  I  therefore  introduced  myself  to  a  partner,  who,  in 
return  for  the  confidence  I  reposed  in  her,  very  obligingly 
teased  the  young  guide  until  he  told  t^^r  whatever  I  wanted ; 


266 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


\  \ 


and  by  means  of  tbis  desoription  of  spoon-diet,  I  obtained,  I 
think,  rather  more  nourishment  than  my  share. 

Our  first  introduotion  was  to  a  room  which  none  of  the 
ladies  would  stop  to  look  at,  surrounded  by  mahogany  presses, 
containing  the  punches,  matrices,  and  ligatures  (the  largest 
collection  in  Europe),  including  those  for  Greek  type,  for  a 
fount  of  which,  in  1692,  the  Uniyersity  of  Cambridge  applied. 

On  entering  the  exceedingly  well-lighted  hall.  No.  I.  of 
the  Imprimerie  Nationale  (in  the  whole  of  which  nearly  a 
thousand  people  are  employed),  the  first  object  that  caught 
my  eyes  was  a  large  tricolor  flag,  upon  which  was  inscribed 

in  gold  letters, — 

it 

"Vive  la  R^publique I" 


In  different  directions  there  appeared  seven  stoves,  around 
four  of  which  were  standing,  closely  shaved,  without  coats  ^r ' 
waistcoats,  and  in  very  clean  shirts — the  sleeves  of  which 
being  tucked  up  disclosed  their  bare  arms — five  men  at  each 
stove,  engaged  in  what  a  novice  of  their  art  might  have  sup- 
posed to  be  some  strange  religious  ceremony,  for  they  kept 
stretching  out  their  right  arms, — then  closing  both  hands,-— 
then  jerking  them  four .  or  five  times  over  their  heads, — 
pausing;  and  then,  extending  their  riicrht  hands,  they  repeat 
ed  the  operation  commonly  called  type-casting,  which  may  be 
explained  as  follows.  From  the  stove  before  him  each  man 
with  a  ladle  dips  out  a  small  quantity  of  liquid  metal,  which 
pouring  into  a  small  matrix  he  jerks  upwards,  until,  cooled 
by  its  rapid  passage  through  the  air,  he  is  enabled  to  drop 
the  type  he  has  created  on  the  table  before  him,  and  repeat 
the  process.  ^ 

From  these  stoves  the  fluid  metal,  in  the  mode  described, 
is  converted  into  the  type  of  forty-eight  different  alphabets, 
speaking  the  languages  of  almost  every  nation  on  the  globe. 
Indeed,  while  Pope  Pius  the  VII.  was  inspecting  the  estab- 
lishment, the  Lord's  Prayer  was  not  only  printed  in  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  languages,  but  was  bound,  up  and  presented  to 
him. 

As  satellites  to  the  seven  furnaces,  I  observed  several 
men  employed  in  breaking  off  to  its  proper  length,  as  fast 
SB  it  was  cast^  the  type,  then  handed  over  to  four  old  wo- 


ZMPBUIEBIE  RATIONALE, 


ncr 


men,  each  wearing  on  her  thumb  and  forefinger  a  thick 
black  leather  case,  with  which  she  first  made  each  rough-oast 
letter  smooth,  and  then  —  as  our  Universities  treat  *'  a  fresh- 
man"— she  polished  it.  These  types,  packed  in  parcels,  con- 
taining each  only  one  letter,  and  which  resemble  octavo  vol- 
umes, are  then  shut  up  in  a  dark  closet  adjoining,  where  they 
remain  until  summoned  to  perform  their  high  literary  du- 
ties. 

On  entering  a  room  of  150  feet  in  length,  my  heart  re- 
joiced within  me  at  the  welcome  sight  of  two  long  rows  of 
compositors,  all  dressed  in  blouses  and  black  silk  neckcloths. 
At  proper  intervals  were  also  to  be  seen,  each  within  a  wire 
cage,  that  valuable,  well-educated  member  of  every  printing 
establishment — a  reader.  On  the  first  coup-d'oeil  the  whole 
appeared  in  busy  operation ;  as,  however,  we  passed  along, 
one  might  have  fancied  we  were  a  body  of  magicians,  witches, 
and  wizards,  whose  breath  had  power  to  stop  the  whole  sys- 
tem ;  for  howev-er  seduloutily  the  compositor  had,  from  the 
small  "  case  "  before  him,  been  snapping  up  letter  after  let- 
ter to  fill  his  "  stick ;"  whatever  might  be  the  subject  on 
which  he  was  engaged ;  he  stood  spell-bound  in  his  operation, 
not  only  while  we  were  approaching,  but  for  several  seconds 
afterwards  he  was  to  be  seen  standing  with  a  type  between 
his  finger  and  thumb. 

"  I  Haw  a  smith  stand  with  his  hammer,  thus^ 
The  whilst  his  iron  did  on  the  anvil  cool." 


The  sudden  appearance  of  six  young  ladies  and  three 
rather  old  ones  produced  ur^on  150  French  compositors  the, 
strange  symptoms  above  described.  Indeed,  every  workman 
—  even  the  jaded  reader  —  stopped  to  enjoy  a  good,  long, 
hearty,  refreshing  look  at  them ;  after  which  one  by  one  faith- 
fully returned  to  his  work.  In  another  room,  about  180  feet 
long,  were  distributed  in  a  similar  manner  a  double  row  of 
compositors,  closely  packed  along  each  wall.  On  descending 
to  the  ground  floor  we  passed  through  a  long,  dark  store- 
room, which  reminded  me  of  a  coal-mine,  about  150  feet  in 
length,  filled  almost  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling  with  "  type 
in  forms,"  that  is  to  say,  in  the  square  frames  in  which  they 
had  been  fixed,  and  in  which  they  were  reposing  until  again 


■\ 


S68 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


required  for  a  reprint.  Twelve  thousand  of  these  forms  were 
BO  arranged  that,  like  the  tray  of  a  wardrobe,  any  could  at 
pleasure  be  drawn  out  without  moving  the  one  above  or  be- 
low. 

The  very  first  compartment  of  this  dark  receptacle,  prin- 
oipally  filled  with  government  publications,  was  labelled — 


"GUBEEB."* 


From  it  we  passed  into  a  beautiful  yard,  covered  with 
skylights  like  a  greenhouse,  and  surrounded  on  every  side  by 
low  cisterns,  above  each  of  which  appeared,  protruding  from 
the  wall,  one  or  two  cooks  for  filling  them  with  water.  In 
this  cheerful  workshop  we  found  several  men  employed  in 
damping  paper  for  the  press. 

We  next  entered  a  beautiful  printing  hall,  180  feet  long 
— ^with  hand-presses  on  each  side — in  which,  in  a  glass  frame, 
I  observed  inscribed  in  large  letters —  a 

"  AtEUKR  DB  tA  R6PUBUQUB."f 

On  walking  down  this  gallery  we  found  it  intersected  in 
the  middle  by  another  at  right  angles  of  about  100  feet  in 
length,  also  occupied  by  a  double  row  of  printing-presses. 
From  this  point  the  cruciform  view  was  extremely  interesting. 
Two  hundred  and  thirty  printers  in  shirts  (it  was  Thursday) 
as  clean  as  the  paper  they  were  imprinting,  were  to  be  seen 
at  115  presses,  working  not  only  the  white  paper  to  which  I 
have  just  alluded,  but  of  all  colours,  especially  pink,  blue,  red, 
and  yellow.  Strange  as  it  may  sound  to  people  accustomed 
to  the  cold,  steady  business  habits  of  England,  which  nothing 
can  either  excite  or  subdue,  the  whole  establishment  stopped 
working,  and  for  some  minutes  assumed  a  grin  of  delight  at 
the  sight  of  the  ladies.  Several  of  these  pressmen,  who  were 
all  remarkably  well  dressed,  shook  hands  with  three  or  four, 
who  appeared  to  be  well  acquainted  with  them.  One  press- 
man, with  very  long  block  mustachios,  offered  the  prettiest  of 
the  young  ladies  a  pinch  of  snufT,  which  she  accepted,  and 
which  caused  her  to  stop — I  suppose  merely  to  thank  him. 
—  a  considerable  time ;  and  as  our  guide  K>r  the  moment 


*War. 


f  Workshop  of  the  Republic 


IMP  RIM EB IE  NATION  ALE, 


260 


in 


was  oomplotely  deserted,  I  managed  to  elicit  from  him  that 
all  the  pressmen,  as  well  as  the  compositors  we  had  just  left, 
work  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  seven  at  night,  ezoeptina 
from  twelve  to  two,  which  period  they  devote  to  "  dinner  and 
recreation;"  lastly,  that  they  are  paid  according  to  the 
amount  of  work  they  perform.  In  these  halls  are  daily  struck 
off  on  an  average  above  350,000  sheets,  besides  about  12,000 
sets  of  what  are  called  in  England  court  cards ;  namelv, 
kings,  queens,  knaves,  and  aces,  the  printing  of  which,  in 
France,  is  monopolised  by  the  Government. 

So  many  of  the  pressmen  were  talking  to  our  ''  ladies," 
that  the  young  guide  had  some  little  difiiculty  in  inducine 
them  to  follow  him  into  a  long  chamber,  in  which  we  found 
seated  nearly  in  pairs,  and  very  busily  at  work,  twelve  young 
well-dressed  men,  with  mustachios,  and  tT^elve  very  pretty- 
looking  young  ladies  in  caps  of  all  colours.  On  the  table  at 
which  they  were  seated  stood  basins  full  of  flowers.  The 
work  they  performed  consisted  mainly  of  now  and  then  mak- 
ing a  dot — then  a  little  scratch — then  a  slight  turn  of  the 
head — then  a  smile — then  a  very  long  scrub— then  three  dots 
— and  so  on ;  in  short,  they  were  correcting  and  finishing  off 
lithographic  maps,  painted  in  most  beautiful  colours;  at 
which  they  continue  to  work  from  seven  to  seven,  with  two 
hours  of  "  recreation,'*  as  aforesaid,  which  very  probably  con- 
sists of  the  dissyllable  imprinted  in  the  left  hand  corner  of  a 
London  "  At  home  "  card  of  invitation,  namely,  "  Dancing.^ 

About  this  happy  hall  we  found  sixteen  lithogn^P 
presses,  which  besides  the  maps  from  below,  were  busily 
striking  off  government  papers  of  various  colours  and  sizes. 
At  several  tables  I  observed  otherwise  occupied  well-dressed 
and  apparently  well-conducted  persons  of  both  sexes,  and  yet, 
as  indeed  throughout  the  whole  establishment,  it  was  evident 
that  at  a  single  blast  of  a  trumpet  the  men,  like  Boderick- 
Bhu's  "  warriors  true,"  would  have,  one  and  all,  started  up 
soldiers ! 

Below  stairs  we  entered  a  room  full  of  larger  lithographic 
presses,  and  then  a  magazine  that  looked  like  a  universe  of 
white  paper. 

We  were  now  conducted  into  a  large,  light,  airy  chamber, 
in  yrhich  were  to  be  seen,  hard  and  steadily  at  work,  four 
huge  steam-presses,  each  of  which,  as  compared  with  the 


I 


2i&^ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FREJSUU  STICKS. 


sti'eTigth  of  the  human  heings  that  environed  it,  looked  likft' 
Q-uUiver  snoring  in  the  land  of  Lillipu^. 

On  the  summit  of  each  of  these  powerful  machines,  in- 
stead of  a  boy,  as  in  England,  I  observed  sitting  up  aloft  a 
yOung  girl,  who,  at  every  aspiration  of  the  giant  over  which 
she  presided,  fed  him  with  a  large  sheet  of  cool  damp  milk- 
white  paper,  no  sooner  in  his  power  than  it  was  remorselessly 
hurried  over  a  sort  of  iron  cataract,  at  the  bottom  of  which  it 
came  out  printed,  on  both  sides,  into  the  hands  of  a  young  wo- 
man, a  little  older  and  a^  little  stouter,  by  whom  it  was  scarcely 
laid  aside  when,  the  operation  having  been  repeated  by  the 
angel  above,  there  came  out,  for  our  weal  or  woe,  another  sheet 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  good  or  evil.  With  the  assistance  of 
its  two  hand-maidens,  and  of  some  men  seated  at  tables  close 
behind  them,  employed  in  preparing  the  papev  for  the  opera- 
tion above  described,  each  of  these  great  presses,  which  cost 
10,000  francs,  strikes  oflF  from  1000  to  1200  sheets  per  hour 

In  an  adjoining  room  we  witnessed  a  simple  and  very  in- 
genious invention  for  rapidly  drying  the  paper  thus  imprinted. 
A  hot  iron  cylinder,  of  about  six  feet  in  diameter,  encircled  by 
coarse  brown  canvas,  and  made  to  revolve  by  the  power  of 
steam,  is.  attended  by  a  woman,  who  keeps  putting  between  the 
heated  metal  and  its  linen  covering  one  sheet  after  another  of 
printed  paper,  which  is  not  only  dried  in  the  hotbed  in  which 
it  is  obliged  to  revolve,  but,  as  in  the  case  of  the  printing 
presses  just  described,  is  delivered  into  the  hands  of  another 
woman  seated  by  her  side  to  receive  it.  There  are  three  of 
these  machines,  each  attended  by  tWD  deliverers  and  two  re- 
ceiving women. 

In  the  kaleidoscope  we  were  viewing  there  next  in  an  open 
yard  appeared,  guided  by  men,  a  powerful  machine  for  cutting 
paper ;  and  in  an  adjoining  well-ventilated  chamber  we  found 
sixteen  women  and  girls,  very  quietly  and  neatly  dressed,  em- 
ployed in  placing  each  printed  sheet  between  two  pieces  of 
glazed  pasteboard,  and  in  then  submitting  the  whole  to  a  hy- 
draulic pressure  of  300,000  pounds. 

We  were  next  conducted  to  a  department  of  the  establish- 
ment called  "  La  Keglure,"  a  long  room,  containing  eleven  ma- 
chines for  ruling  lines  of  various  sorts.  Each  was  attended  by 
three  youqg  women  ;  one  for  regulating  ii ;  one  for  feeding  it 
vith  paper ;  the  other  for  receiving  the  paper  when  ruled. 


JMPBIMEmE  NATIONALS. 


271 


The  lines,  twenty-eight  of  which  can  "be  made  at  once,  were 
drawn  by  pens  supplied  with  ink?rom  a  roller.  For  official 
documents,  in  which  the  lines  required  were  so  numerous  that 
they  exceeded  the  breadth  of  the  machines,  other  young  women 
were  employed  in  executing  them  by  hand,  by  means  of  combs, 
the  teeth  of  which,  confined  in  an  iron  frame,  were  made  to  cor- 
respond in  number  and  position  with  the  lines  require  i.  In 
consequence  of  this  room  being  rather  overheated,  the  young, 
women  employed  in  it  bad  all  a  very  high  colour  ;  they  were, 
moreover,  not  only  exceedingly  well  dressed,  but  apparently 
quite  as  well  behaved.  Indeed,  from  their  appearance  and  de- 
nieanour,  no  one  in  England  would  have  judged  them  to  be 
mechanics. 

In  a  small  chamber  we  came  to  four  tables,  at  each  of 
which  were  sitting  six  young  women,  busily  occupied  in  fold- 
ing and  sewing  sheets,  under  the  direction  of  a  superintendent, 
securely  seated  in  a  wired  caged  cell  at  the  bottom  of  the  apart- 
ment, which  opened  into  an  immense  room,  400  feet  long,  in 
which  we  found  in  full  operation  the  Binding  Department,  in 
all  its  branches.  For  nearly  100  yards  we  passed  through  piles 
of  half-bound  books — principally  edged  either  with  bright  yel- 
low or  bright  scarlet — waiting  to  undergo  that  variety  of  taUor- 
ihg  and  millinery  operations  necessary  to  enable  them  to  ap- 
pear before  the  literary  world  in  quarter,  half,  or  full  dress. 
The  labourers  in  this  immense  and  important  workshop  were, 
as  nearly  as  I  could  judge,  composed,  in  about  equal  parts,  of 
young  men  and  young  women ;  and  with  the  curiosity  natural 
to  their  age,  they  all  stppped  work  as  our  party  passed. the  ta- 
bles on  the  right  and  left,  at  which  they  respectively  werer  seat- 
ed ;  however,  I  could  not  but  feel  they  had  as  much  right  to  be 
curious  about  us  as  we  had  about  them. 

Like  a  hen  preceding  a  brood  of  motley-coloured  chickens, 
our  young  conductor  now  led  us  along  a  passage  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  very  broad  staircase,  where,  gradually  stopping,  he. 
turned  round,  took  off  his  hat,  and,  with  a  slight  bow,  announc- 
ed to  us  that  "  we  had  seen  all."  My  right  hand,  as  in  duty 
bound,  dived  straight  into  my  pocket ;  but  as  I  felt  it  was 
grasping  at  a  quantity  of  loose  silver,  of  all  sizes,  without 
knowing  how  much  to  select,  in  a  whisper  I  asked  my  fair  inr 
terpreter  who  had  been  labouring  hard  in  my  behalf,  to  be  so 
good  as  to  ascertain  for  me  what  I  ought  to  give.    Our  young 


i  ; 


272 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS, 


oonduotor  must  liave  instinotiTely  understood  the  question  I 
was  asking,  for,  with  that  pleasing  manner  and  mild  expres- 
sion of  countenance  which  had  distinguished  him  throughout 
the  many  weary  hours  we  had  been  lathering  him,  he  said  to 
me,  before  the  whole  party,  ^  Monsieur,  il  nous  est  ezpress^- 
mcnt  d^fendu  de  rien  reoevoir  ("*  Indeed  I  could  not  induce 
him  to  accept  anything. 

His  parting  words,  and  a  sketch  of  the  interior  of  the  draw- 
ing-room in  which  strangers  are  received  in  the  "  Imprimerie 
Niationale**  of  Paris,  on^t,  I  submit,  to  be  hung  up  in  Prince 
Albert's  Crystal  Palace,  as  a  specimen  of  French  politeness, 
not  only  to  be  admired,  but  to  oe  copied  by  the  governments 
and  by  the  people  of  every  other  nation  on  the  globe. 


•  •• 


LA  MOBGUE. 

At  Paris  every  face  I  met  appeared  to  be  so  exceedingly 
happy  and  so  remarkably  polite  that  from  the  hour  of  my  ar« 
rival  I  had  been  in  the  habit,  without  the  slightest  precaution, 
of  walking  anywhere  at  any  time  of  day  or  night.  Happening, 
however,  to  mention  to  a  French  gentleman  the  late  hour  at 
which,  entirely  alone,  I  had  passed  along  a  certain  district,  he 
told  me,  very  gravely,  that  there  were  in  Paris — as  indeed 
there  are  in  all  countries — ^great  numbers  of  men,  never  to  be 
seen  in  daylight,  who  subsist  by  robbery  and  occasionally  by 
murder ;  that  after  dark  they  haunt  lonely  spots,  and  that  not 
unfrequently,  after  knocking  down  and  robbing  their  victims, 
they  have  summarily  chucked  them  over  the  bridges  they  were 
in  the  act  of  crossing  into  the  Seine. 

'*  Tou  must,  my  dear  ('  mon  cher'),  be  more  careful,"  he 
said  to  me,  with  very  great  kindness,  "  or  you  will  find  your 
way  to  the  Morgue !"  and  as  I  had  often  from  others  heard  it 
was  the  place  in  which  all  dead  bodies  found  in  the  streets 
of  Paris  or  in  the  Seine  are  exposed,  and  as  on  the  following 
day  I  had  occasion  to  be  in  its  neighbourhood,  I  determined 
I  would  fulfil  my  kind  friend's  prophecy  by  ''  finding  my  way 

*  Sir,  we  are  expressly  forbidden  to  receive  anything  t 


■■'■•mmmmitSIm 


lA  MOBOUE. 


273 


to  it."  Accordingly,  walking  along  the  Quai,  I  perceived  on 
the  banks  of  the  Seine,  close  before  me,  touching  the  extremity 
of  the  March^  Neuf — ^indeed,  the  nice,  fresh,  green  vegetables 
in  the  last  of  the  booths  ranged  along  the  wall  of  the  Quai 
actually  touched  it — a  small,  low,  substantial  Doric  building, 
constructed  of  massive,  roughly-hewn  stones,  as  large  as  those 
commonly  used  in  England  for  a  county  jail. 

On  gazing  at  it  attentively  for  a  few  minutes,  a  stranger 
might  consider  it  to  be  a  post-office,  for  a  certain  proportion 
of  the  crowd  that  was  continually  passing  along  the  thorough- 
fare in  which  it  stood,  kept  what  is  commonly  called  "popping 
in,"  while  about  the  same  number — just  as  if  they  had  depos- 
ited their  letters — were  as  regularly  popping  out,  and  then 
proceeding  on  their  course. 

On  the  east  wall  of  this  little  building  there  hung,  singing 
in  a  cage,  a  bullfinch,  belonging  to  one  of  the  vegetable-selling 
women  in  the  market.  On  the  right,  standin/  on  a  chair 
and  surrounded  by  a  gaping  crowd,  was  a  travelling  conjuror, 
who  appeared  to  possess  the  power  of  making  every  face  of  his 
attendant  assembly  smile  or  grin  with  more  or  less  delight. 

After  standing  for  some  time,  listening  sometimes  to  the 
bullfinch,  sometimes  to  the  conjuror,  but  more  '.onstantly 
looking  towards  the  little  building  between  them,  I  approached 
its  door,  from  which,  just  as  I  entered  it,  there  walked  out 
arm-in-arm  two  well-dressed  ladies,  with  flowers  in  their  bon- 
nets. On  entering  a  small  roor.-it  was  La  Morgan  —I  saw 
immediately  before  me  a  partitic  v  'composed  of  large  clean 
windows,  through  each  of  wb'ch  a  ^^.n  all  gvDup  of  people,  look- 
ing over  each  other's  heads,  wer  iiten'^i  gazing.  Within 
this  partition,  on  the  wall  opr  .sire  to  r  o,  xras  hanging,  and 
apparently  dripping,  a  long,  thiu  mass  of  worthless  and  non- 
descript substance  that  looked  uko  old  rags.  Oa  approaching 
the  smallest  of  the  groups  I  ^aw  ck.  ^e  to  me,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  glass  partition,  five  black  inclined  planes,  on  one  of 
whieh  there  lay  on  its  back,  with  a  nose  crushed  flat  like  a 
negro,  with  its  cheeks  swelled  out  exactly  as  if  it  were  loudly 
blowing  a  trumpet,  the  naked,  livid  cor']pse  of  a  robust,  well- 
formed  young  woman  of  about  twenty  years  of  age.  The  face, 
throat,  chest,  arms,  and  legs  below  the  knees  were  deeply  dis- 
coloured, and  yet,  for  some  reason,  the  thij^hs  were  quite 
white '     The  soles  of  her  feet,  which  were  sdffly  upturned, 

12* 


9r$ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


.     I 


bad  been  so  coddled  bj  the  water  in  which  she  had  been 
drowned,  that  they  appeared  to  be  almost  honeyoombQd. 
From  the  wall  above  there  projected  eight  little  streams, 
about  the  siie  of  those  which  flow  from  the  rose  of  an  ordinary 
garden  watering-pot.  arranged  to  fall  on  her  face,  throat,  neck 
and  legs  (round  her  middle  there  was  wrapped  a  narrow  piece 
of  oil-cloth),  to  keep  the  body  wet  and  cool. 

Above  her,  hanging  on  pegs,  was  the  miserable  inventory 
of  her  (iress  :  a  pair  of  worn-out  shoes,  ragged  stockings,  shift, 
and  the  dripping  mass  (her  spotted  cotton  gown  and  petticoat) 
which  I  iaad  already  observed.  A  more  revolting,  ghastly, 
horrid,  painful  sight  I  fancied  at  the  moment  I  had  never  be- 
fore beheld  ;  and  yet  the  living  picture  immediately  in  front 
of  it  was  so  infinitely  more  appalling,  it  offered  for  reflection 
so  important  a  moral,  that  my  eyes  soon  turned  from  the 
dead  to  the  various  groups  of  people  who  were  gazing  upon  it ; 
aind  as  my  object  was  to  observe  rather  than  be  observed,  I 
managed,  with  some  difficulty,  to  get  into  the  right-hand  cor- 
ner of  the  partition,  where  I  was  not  only  close  to  the  glass, 
but  could  see  the  countenance  of  everybody  within  the 
"  Morgue." 

At  first  I  endeavoured  to  write  down,  in  short-hand,  merely 
the  sexes  and  apparent  ages  of  the  people  who  kept  dropping 
in ;  the  tide,  however,  in  and  out  was  so  great,  the  stream  of 
coming-in  faces  and  departing  backs  was  so  continuous  and 
conflicting,  that  I  found  it  to  be  utterly  impossible,  and  I  can, 
therefore,  offer  but  a  faint  sketch  of  what  I  witnessed. 

Among  those  whose  eyes  were  steadily  fixed  upon  the 
corpse,  were  four  or  five  young  men  with  beards ;  among  them 
stood  several  women,  old  and  young,  two  or  three  of  whom 
had  children  in  their  arms.  One  boy,  of  about  five  years  old, 
came  in,  carrying  an  infant  on  his  back.  Many  people  en- 
tered with  baskets  in  their  hands.  One  man  had  on  his 
shoulders,  and  towering  above  his  head,  half  a  sack  of  coals. 
"  Oh,  Dieu !  que  vilain .'"  said  an  old  woman  ia  a  white  cap, 
uplifting  the  palms  of  both  hands,  and  stepping  backwards  as 
her  eyes  first  caught  sight  of  the  corpse.  Then  came  in  two 
soldiers ;  then  a  fashionably  and  exceedingly  well  dressed 
lady,  with  two  daughters,  pne  about  sixteen,  the  other  about 
eleven,  all  three  with  flowers  in  their  bonnets ;  then  a  well- 
dressed  maid,  carrying  an  infant.    "  Mon  Dieu  ! ! !"  exclaimed 


LA  MORGUE. 


275 


an  old  woman  (the  old  women  appeared  to  me  to  shrink  from 
the  sight  most  of  all),  as  on  a  glance  at  the  corpse  she  turned 
on  her  heel  and  walked  out ;  then  in  ran  a  number  of  lads ;  a 
wrinkled  old  grandmother,  with  ail  her  strength,  lifted  up  a 
fine,  pretty  boy  of  about  three  years  old,  without  his  hat. 

The  point  at  which  I  stood,  I  was  afterwards  informed, 
that  which  had  been  selected  by  a  well-known  French 


was 


actress,  who,  with  an  esprit  dc  corps,  to  say  the  least,  of  an 
extraordinary  character,  has  been  in  the  habit  of  repeatedly 
yisiting  La  Morgue  professionally  to  study  the  sudden  changes 
of  countenance  of  those  who,  as  they  continually  pour  into  it, 
first  see  the  ghastly  objects  purposely  laid  out  for  their  in- 
spection ;  and  certainly  a  more  dreadful  reality  could  not  be 
beheld,  and  yet,  the  more  I  reflected  on  what  I  saw,  the  more 
dreadful  it  appeared.  The  flashes  of  horror  and  disgust  that 
suddenly  distorted  the  faces  of  most  of  those  who  consecu- 
tively approached  the  glass  windows,  were  certainly  very  re- 
markable ;  and  yet  the  utter  nonchalance  of  others,  both  young 
and  old.  and  of  both  sexes,  approaching  sometimes  almost  to  a 
smile,  was  infinitely  more  appalling,  because  it  but  too  clearly 
proved  how  easily  and  how  effectually  those  beautiful  feelings 
in  the  human  heart  which  are  most  admired  may,  by  the  scene 
I  have  imperfectly  described,  be  completely  ruined. 

Of  the  dreadful  history  of  the  bruised,  livid,  young  crea- 
ture lying  prostrate  close  to  me,  I  was,  of  course,  utterly 


ignorant.  Her  mind  might  have  been  ornamented  with  every 
virtue ;  she  might  have  fallen  into  the  river  by  accident.  On 
the  other  hand,  she  might  have  committed  every  description 
of  crime,  and  in  retribuuoD  thereof  have  been  murdered  by 
some  one  as  criminal  a^  herself,  with  whom  she  had  criminally 
been  living ;  and  yet,  whatever  might  have  been  her  guilt,  to 
be  exposed  for  three  days  (for  such  was  the  time  she  had  been 
sentenced  to  lie  in  La  Morgue)  naked,  in  a  great  metropolis, 
to  the  gaze  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  lif^ — to  men  of  all 
ages — was,  I  deeply  felt,  a  punishment  so  cruel  and  inhuman 
that  it  might  almost  be  said  to  have  exceeded  her  offence ; 
and  yet,  if  she  could  have  felt  the  shame  that  was  inflicted 
upon  her,  her  sufferings  individually  would  have  been  utterly 
unimportant  when  compared  to  the  wholesale  injury — and, 
may  I  not  add,  disgrace  ? — which  the  people  of  Paris  were 
Buffering,  from  the  possibility  of  being,  first,  by  curiosity  al- 


are 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


JA 


\M'"'^- 


lured,  and,  after  that,  bv  yioioni  inclinatioiw  babituaied,  to  a 
scene  more  contaminating  to  the  morals  of  all  classes  than 
anything  it  could  be  4SonceiTed  the  ingenuity  of  man  could 
have  devised.  Indeed,  when  I  looked  at  the  mingled  faces  of 
young  men,  young  women,  children,  infants,  and  old  peojole, 
all  pointing  towards  an  object  which  modesty,  nay,  which 
common  decency  would  haye  told  them — at  all  events  in 
combination — to  avoid,  I  could  scarcely  believe  that  I  was 
existiTig  within  800  yards  of  the  Louvre,  the  guest  of  a  brave 
and  intellectuid  people,  whose  politeness  and  amiable  civilities 
I  had  so  much  reason  to  acknowledge  I  And  the  more  I  re- 
flected, the  greater  was  my  astonishment ;  for  not  only  was  the 
exposition  Mfore  me  cruel  to  the  dead,  and  destructive  of  the 
morals  of  the  living,  but,  after  all,  it  was  OL^terly  useless  I 

A  person's  clothes,  instead  of  beinf  an  impediment,  are  the 
greatest  possible  assistance  in  substantiating  his  identity ;  and 
accordingly  in  a  court  of  justice  it  is  not  unusual  for  a  witness, 
who  had  previously  been  unable  to  recognise  the  prisoner  at 
the  bar,  to  exclaim,  the  instant  the  latter  is  forcect  to  put  on 
his  head  the  hat  he  had  ;;een  holding  in  his  hand,  that  he  is 
the  person  who  had  comrrdtted  the  crime  alleged  against  him. 

A  set  of  dripping-wet  clothes  and  rags,  hanging  on  pegs 
over  .^  body  which,  when  living,  had  prowbly  rarely,  if  ever, 
been  seen  by  any  one  uncoirered,  are,  practically  speaking,  al- 
most useless ;  whereas,  if  a  corpse  were  to  be  exposed  in  the 
well-known  dress  in  which  it  had  been  found,  not  only  every 
garment  individually,  but  all  collectively,  would  form  the  best 
possible  evidence  of  its  identity.  In  snort,  leaving  morality 
out  of  the  question,  nothing  surely  can  be  more  foolish  than 
for  a  nation,  a  government,  a  police,  and  a  people,  to  devise  to- 
gether a  mode  of  identification  which,  while  it  jumbles  and 
conorviilB  all  useful  data,  exposes  in  their  stead  data  which,  in 
niy/jty-nine  cases  out  of  one  hundred,  are  practically  useless. 
Iiadecid,  the  fallacy  of  the  system  was  lately  demonstrated  as 
follows : — A  pocr  monQtebank,  in  passing  La  Morgue,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  many  of  tho  gentlefolks  who  had  walked' be- 
fore him,  strolled  into  it  for  a  louijige.  On  one  of  the  black  in- 
clined planes  he  beheld,  lying  between  the  jiaked  corpses  of 
two  men,  his  own  '^  auld  respited  mither  t"  To  redeem  her 
from  such  a  neighbourhood,  and  from  such  neighbours,  he  de- 
termined to  spend,  if  necessary,  all  he  had ;  and  accordingly, 


DOG  MARKET. 


277 


with  praisewortby  affection,  he  followed  her  to  her  narrow 
grave,  in  the  "  fosse  commune"  of  the  cemetery  of  Mont  Par- 
nasse. 

He  was,  however,  so  haunted  by  the  horrid  picture  he  had 
witnessed,  that,  to  relieve  his  mind,  and  also  to  console  his 
only  surviving  sister,  he  determined  to  return  to  his  distant 
motherless  home,  and  on  his  arrival  at  its  door  he  was,  as  he 
well  deserved,  most  affectionately  embraced — ^by  ....  his 
mother  I  It  need  not  be  said  that  the  person  he  had  ^een  ly- 
ing on  the  table  of  La'  Morgue,  disfigured  by  death,  was  not 
hers ;  whereas,  had  the  corpse,  instead  of  being  naked,  been 
dressed,  he  would,  no  doubt,  have  at  once  perceived  that  it  was 
not  his  mother,  whose  costume  du  pays,  and  particular  dress, 
were,  of  course,  imprinted  in  his  mind. 

The  number  of  bodies  annually  exposed  for  three  days  in 
La  Morgue  amount  to  about  300,  of  which  above  five-sixths 
are  males.  The  clothes  of  one  of  the  latter  who  had  been 
buried  without  being  reclaimed  were  still  hanging  near  me. 
A  considerable  proportion  of  the  corpses  are  those  of  suicides 
and  of  people  who  have  been  murdered. 

On  the  whole,  I  left  my  position  in  the  comer  impressed 
with  an  opinion,  since  strengthened  by  reflection,  that  La 
Morgue  at  Paris  is  a  plague-spot  that  must  inevitably,  more  or 
less,  demoralise  every  person  who  views  it.  On  going  out  of 
the  door  I  observed  dangling  over  my  head  a  small  tricolor 
flag,  garnished  as  usual  with  the  words  "  Liberty,  Fraternity, 
and  Equality." 


— '■  >•• 


iroa  MARKET. 


At  Paris,  on  one  day  in  every  week,  namely,  on  Sunday^  there 
is  a  dog  market,  held  in  a  place  which  on  Wednesdays  and 
Saturdays  is  a  horse  market,  and  which,  wearing,  as  is  lawful 
in  heraldry,  its  highest  title,  is  called  "  Le  March6  aux  Ghe- 


vaux 


»« 


On  proceeding  there  on  Sunday,  at  about  half  past  one 

*  Horse-market.        .     , 


278 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


o'elook,  I  found  myself  in  a  rectangular  open  spaoe,  240  yards' 
long  by  44  yards  broad,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  divided 
lengthways  down  the  middle  by  a  stdut  oaken  post  and  rail 
fence,  on  each  side  of  which  was  a  paved  road,  Dounded  by 
grass,  shaded  by  a  triple  row  of  trees.  In  the  centre  of  the 
oak  fence  was  a  large  fountain  of  water.  Beneath  the  trees, 
and  parallel  with  the  two  paved  roads,  were  stout  oaken  rails 
divided  into  pens,  each  bearing  the  name  of  the  horsedealer  to 
whom  it  belonffed,  and  which,  even  if  empty,  no  one  unautho- 
rised by  himself  can  use.  ■  The  horses,  affixed  to  these  rails  by 
rings  which  continue  the  whole  length,  of  the  market,  stand 
shaded  by  the  trees.     Near  to  them  is  an  office  on  which  is 

{>ainted,  in  large  black  letters,  "  Bureau  du  Y^t^rinaire  et  de 
'Inspecteur  charges  de  la  surveillance  du  March6  auz  Ghe- 
vaux."* 

At  the  entrance  of  the  market  there  exists  a  little  wooden 
office,  on  which  is  written,  in  letters  bearing  in  size  about  the 
same  proportion  to  those  of  the  above  superscription  that  a  dog 
does  to  a  horse, — 

"Le  conciei^e  revolt  le  signalement  dea  chiens  perdns,  et  en  fait  les 
recherches.    S'addressei*  sous  la  vestibule  en  face,  la  porte  a  gauche."f     , 

Taking  off  my  hat,  I  introduced  myself  as  a  stranger  seek- 
ing for  in^rmation  to  the  concierge,  or  keeper  of  the  dog  mar- 
ket, before  whose  tiny  office  were  arranged  on  a  table — several 
were  hanging  on  both  sides  of  the  door — a  great  variety  of 
muzzles  to  be  hired  for  the  day  by  dogs,  none  of  whom  are  al- 
lowed, under  any  pretext,  to  enter  the  market  without  one. 

After  talking  some  time  to  the  concierge  during  the  short 
intervals  in  which  he  was  not  professionally  engaged,  I  entered 
the  market,  in  which  I  found  about  280  arrant  curs,  all  wear- 
ing very  odd-looking  wire  nose-gear,  which,  projecting  about 
two  inches  beneath  their  lower  jaws,  gave  their  mouths  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  what  is  called  "  underhung." 

Dogs  were  barking — dogs  were  yelping — dogs  were  squeal- 
ing in  all  directions.     Several  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 

*  OflSce  of  the  veterinary  surgeon  and  of  the  inspector  charged  with 
the  superintendence  of  the  horse-market. 

f  The  concierge  receives  the  description  of  lost  d<^  and  endeavours 
to  recover  them.    Apply  under  the  arohway  in  fronts  to  the  left 


DOQ  MARKET. 


27gf 


B]|)eotator8,  silently  ^apins  down  at  them.    In  one  direction  I 
saw  a  fox-dog — retained  dj  a  Btrins  tied  to  the  oaken  horse- 
rails — on  his  hind  legs,  pawing  with  both  feet  to  get  to  an- 
other dog  about  twenty  vards  off,  that  appeared  equally  anx- 
ious to  oome  to  him.    On  the  ground  tnere  lay  panting  a 
larse,  coarse-looking  Newfoundland  dog ;  near  him  a  basket 
of  fat  puppies  whining ;  behind  them  a  woman  nursing  one  of 
the  family  in  her  lap.     A  sdrrant-maid,  as  she  kept  strolling 
about,  was  leading,  as  if  it  had  been  a  child,  an  Italian  grey- 
bound.     One  sandy-oo  loured  dog,  little  bigger  than  a  very 
large  rat,  and  with  cropped  ears  which  made  him  look  as  sharp 
as  a  flea,  I  was  assured  was  a  year  old.     Near  him  stood  a 
dog  barking  to  get  at  his  master,  dressed  in  a  blouse,  who  had 
not  only  tied  him  to  a  post,  but  who  every  now  and  then 
"  sacrebleued"  him  for  barking.     Beside  him,  looking  at  the 
faithful  creature  with  infinitely  kinder  feelings,  was  standing 
in  wooden  sabots,  with  a  crimson-coloured  handkerchief  wound 
round  her  head  so  as  to  leave  the  ends  sticking  out,  the  dog's 
master's  wife, — ^in  short,  his  own  "  missus,"  who  evidently  did 
not  like  to  see  him  sold.     In  another  direction  I  observed  a 
great  mastiff  standing  near  two  women,  one  of  whom  held  in 
her  arms  two  puppies,  the  other  a  small  dog  with  very  lank 
rough  hair,  that  stuck  out  all  around  him  like  the  prickles  of  a 
hedgehog. 

Close  to  a  very  savage-looking  yard- dog  tied  to  a  rail, 
which  no  one  seemed  disposed  to  approach,  two  women  were 
seated  on  the  ground,  each  with  a  dog  in  her  lap.  Near  them 
a  stout,  tall  peasant  in  a  blouse  held  out  and  up  in  one  hand, 
at  arm's  length,  a  puppy,  looking,  in  comparison  to  his  own 
size,  like  a  mouse.  On  the  ground  were  seated  several  men, 
with  baskets  full  of  yellow  greasy-looking  cakes ;  beside  them 
appeared  stretched  out  for  sale  an  immense  dog-skin. 

The  owner  of  every  dog  pays  for  the  use  of  the  muzzle— 
if  he  has  hired  one — five  sous,  but  the  animal  himself  is  ad- 
mitted into  the  market  free ;  whereas  on  Wednesdays  and 
Saturdays  each  horse  pays  10  sou3,  carriages  on  two  wheels 
15  sous,  on  four  wheels  25  sous,  goats  and  asses  4  sous 
apiece. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  market  is  a  place  of  trial  of 
strength  of  the  draught  horses,  composed  of  a  steep,  circular, 
payed  ascending  and  descending  road,  surrounded  by  posts 


880 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


• 


and  rails,  and  shaded  by  trees.    At  th^  entrance  stands  a . 
small  bureau,  for  leyyinff  a  payment  of  five  sous  for  each  horse, 
and  a  chain  for  preventing  its  admission  until  the  money  has 
been  paid. 

As  there  is  nothing  like  getting  to  the  butt/ m  of  a  sub< 
ject,  on  leaying  the  dog-market  I  walked  for  some  little  dis- 
tance  to  the  Rue  Poliveau,  a  large  paved  street^  principally 
bounded  on  each  side  by  dead  walls,  between  whicn  meeting 
an  old  woman,  I  asked  her  to  be  so  good  as  to  tell  me  where 
"  La  Fourridre  "•  was.  A  dog,  about  thirty  yards  oflF,  imme- 
diately answered  mjr  question  by  a  loud  melancholy  bark; 
and  as  the  woman  pointed  to  the  direction  from  which  it  pro* 
ceeded,  and  as  I  now  distinctly  heard  there  other  barks,  I 
walked  towards  them,  until,  entering  a  large  gate,  I  found  in 
a  small  yard  seven  or  eight  poor  unfortunate  dogs,  tied  up  by 
chains  and  collars  to  a  rail  inserted  in  the  wall. 

I  was  in  the  dog-pound  of  Paris,  to  which  all  dogs  straying 
about  the  streets  are  sent  by  the  police  to  be  kept  for  a  week, 
and  then,  if  not  owned,  to  be  soldi,  if  they  are  worth  anything, 
and,  if  not,  to  be  killed.  The  dogs  impounded — ^who  were 
evidently  leading  a  very  dull  life,  and  who  all  looked  at  me 
with  more  or  less  atttrtion — consisted  of  two  Italian  grey- 
hounds ;  a  mastiff,  with  a  collar  and  a  padlock ;  a  mongrel 
pointer ;  a  dog  very  ill,  that  never  moved,  and  that  lay  coiled 
up  :2.  a  circle,  with  his  dry  nose  resting  on  his  empty  flank  ; 
and  various  othtT  curs.  One,  standing  at  the  extremity  of 
his  chain  on  his  hind  legs  and  pawing  at  me,  whined  and 
barked  incessantly.  The  latter  noise  was  so  sharp  that  it 
went  entirely  through  my  head  and  partly  through  my  heart. 
The  poor  creature  seemed  to  know  he  was  going  to  be  hanged 
merely  because  he  was  friendless,  and  his  pawing  proposal  to 
me  was  that  /should  be  his  master;  in  short, by  noises,  as 
well  as  by  gestures,  he  entreated  me  io  take  him  away. 

In  the  yard  there  was  nothing  but  stables,  and  I  could 
find  no  human  being  to  converse  with,  until;  looking  upwards, 
i  saw  the  face,  shoulders,  and  stout  arms  of  a  great,  strong, 
coarse-looking  woman,  looking  down  at  me  from  a  second- 
story  windoW)  over  which,  and  immediately  over  the  lady's 
head,  was  written  on  the  whitewashed  stone  in  buff  letters  the 
word  "Fanny." 

*  ThepomidL  "^ 


HOSPICE  DE  LA   VIEILLE8SK 


m 


'  £  talked  to  her  a  short  time  about  doss  in  generr*!,  and 
about  the  dogs  in  the  fourridre,  over  which  she  and  her  bus* 
band  presided,  in  particular ;  but  as  she  answered  my  ques* 
tions  rather  gruffly,  and  as  the  poor  dogs'  countenances  had 
told  me  all  and  infinitely  more  than  I  desired  to  remember, 
our  missuited  acquaintance  soon  came  to  an  end. 

After  leaving  the  poor  animals  to  their  fate,  I  passed,  as 
I  was  walking  alonff  a  large  street,  an  immense  timber-yard, 
in  which  the  scantlings  for  a  large  roof  were  all  planned  and 
lying  on  the  ground.  Among  tnem,  with  bare  throats  and 
moist  faces,  I  saw,  hard  at  work,  thirty  men  dressed  in  blouses. 
Further  on  I  observed  forty  or  fifty  men,  paid  partly  by  Gov- 
ernment and  partly  by  the  c  busily  employed  in  completing 
the  demolition  of  a  conde  d  street.  It  was  Sunday.  I 
may  here  remark  thJEit,  out  of  the  seven  days  of  the  week,  the 
second  Sunday  in  May  of  the  fourth  year  of  the  presidentship 
has,  by  a  law  of  the  Bepublic,  been  selected  for  the  hardest 
political  work  known,  namely,  the  election  throughout  France 
of  a  new  President. 


-•-•-•- 


HOSPICE  DE  LA  VIEILLESSE. 

With  my  mind  overrun  in  all  directions  by  dogs  whining, 

Jrelping,  and  barking,  I  proceeded  along  the  Boulevart  de 
'H6pital  until  I  found  myself  on  a  large  esplanade  of  grass, 
dotted  with  trees.  Across  it  were  two  paved  roads  converg- 
ing to  a  handsome  Doric  gateway,  supported  by  a  pair  of 
massive  lofty  columns,  above  which  were  inscribed  in  black 
paint,  "  Libert6,  Egalit6,  Fraternity,"  and  beneath,  deeply 
engraved— 

Hospice  de  la  Yieilleese 
FemmesL* 

This  magnificent  hospital,  commonly  called  ''  La  Salp^ 
triere," — ^frovi  its  standing  on  ground  formerly  occupied  as  a 

*  Hospital  for  Aged  Women. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


lii|2B     12.5 
■^  1^    12.2 

"^  1^  IIIIIM 


11.25  i  1.4 


—    6" 


a 

m 


vl 


/: 


'>/  > 


y 


/A 


Photographic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MStO 

(716)  872-4503 


^ 


28a 


A  PAGGOT  OF  FBMCH  STICKS. 


',  \ 


saltpetre  manufactory — and  which  in  the  year  1662  contained 
nearly  ten  thousand  poor,  is  120  yards  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  length,  by  36  yards  more  than  a  fifth  of  a  mile 
in  breadth.  On  arriving  at  its  gate,  always  open  to  the  pub- 
lic every  day  in  the  week,  from  ten  in  the  morning  till  four 
in  the  afternoon,  I  was  accosted,  and  after  a  few  words  of 
civility  on  both  sides,  was  accompanied,  by  a  very  intelligent 
red-faced  o£Gicial,  dressed  in  a  blue  coat,  scarlet  collar,  with 
cocked  hat  worn  crossways  it  la  Napoleon,  and  ornamented 
with  a  tricoloured  cockade,  who  conducted  me  into  a  fine, 
large,  healthy,  grass  square,  teeming  with  old  women,  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  bounded  in  the  rear,  right,  and  left  by 
buildings,  and  in  front  of  the  entrance-gate  by  a  very  hand- 
some church,  subdivided  cruciformly  into  four  chapels.  As 
we  were  walking  across  this  spacious  promenade  my  guide 
informed  me  that  there  were  present  in  the  Hospice  about 
five  thousand  old  women,  all  of  whom — excepting  on  Sundays 
and  f6te-days,  when  they  are  allowed  to  dress  as  they  like — 
wear  the  uniform  of  the  establishment,  which  is  blue  in  sum- 
mer and  grey  in  winter.  He  added  that  -their  qualification 
for  admission  was  either  bodily  or  mental  infirmities,  or  with- 
out either  of  those  afflictions,  having  attained  seventy  years 
of  age. 

On  the  principal  of  the  four  altars  in  the  church,  I  found 
eighty  wax  Oandles  standing  before  a  statue  of  the  Virgin, 
behind  which  was  the  wall,  painted  light  blue,  thickly  covered 
with  silver  stars.  In  front  of  the  whole  of  this  costly  finery 
I  observed  upon  her  knees,  on  the  hard  pavement,  a  poor  old 
woman.  Beyond  the  church  I  was  conducte.d  through  a  variety 
of  extensive  gardensi,  grass  plots  covered  with  trees  and  in- 
tersected by  paths,  in  which  old  women  in  all  directions  were 
enjoying  themselves ;  indeed,  although  the  institution  is,  I 
believe,  the  largest  of  its  sort  in  the  world,  it  had  the  appear- 
ance only  of  a  place  of  pleasure.  ^      ; 

Here  were  to  be  seen  old  women  ruminating  on  benches ;  there 
others  seated  in  groups  on  grass  emerald  green.  On  Sundays 
and  Thursdays  their  friends  are  allowed  to  come  and  see  them ; 
and  aocoMingly,  in  ma^ny  places  I  observed  a  young  woman 
neatly,  and,  by  comparison,  very  fashionablv  dressed,  sitting 
on  a  stone  bench  by  the  side  of  her  aged  mother  clad  occasion- 
ally in  the  uniform  of  this  noble  charity. 


HOSPICE  DE  LA   VIEILLESSE. 


283 


w 


On  entering  the  laboratory,  a  detached-building,  instead 
of  finding  in  it,  as  I  expected,  nothing  but  a  strong  smell  of 
rhubarb  and  jalap,  I  perceived  several  perSons  engaged  in 
preparing,  in  five  great  caldrons,  what  they  called  "  tisane"  a 
sort  of  weak  gruel,  which  in  large  zinc  pails — a  variety  of 
which  of  different  sizes  were  in  waiting — ^is  carried  all  over 
the  establishment.  Adjoining  is  the  "  Pharmacie"  a  light, 
airy  room,  in  which,  ranged  on  shelves,  were  a  number  of 
bottles  containing  the  various  elixirs — ^whatever  they  may  be 
— that  are  good  for  old  women,  and  which  appeared,  at  all 
events,  to  be  inodorous. 

I  was  next  conducted  to  the  hospital,  a  splendid  detached 
building  of  twenty-four  windows  in  front,  and  three  stories 
Tirith  an  attic  in  height.  On  entering  its  iron  gates,  adjoining 
a  porter's  lodge,  I  found  myself  in  a  court  full  of  lilacs  in 
blossom.  In  this  hospital,  which  can  contain  400  persons^. 
there  were  300  sick  old  women  in  twenty-four  "  salles  des 
malades."*  In  walking  through  one  of  them  I  found,  in 
twenty-four  beds  protected  by  white  curtains,  and  arranged 
throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  hall  in  two  rows,  very 
nearly  two  dozen  of  old  women,  who,  apparently  without  sufier- 
ings  of  any  sort,  were  just  going  off,  or  rather  out.  Naturally 
attached  to  the  fashions  of  their  early  days,  most  of  them 
had  tawdry-colored  handkerchiefs  wound  round  their  heads  ; 
and  as  the  bright  eyes  that  still  enlivened  the  fine  features  of 
several  were  consecutively  fixed  on  me,  as  I  slowly  walked 
by  them  on  a  floor  so  slippery  that  every  instant  I  expected 
to  fall  on  the  back  of  my  head,  I  could  not  help  feeling  that 
I  had  lived  to  see  withering  before  me  many  of  those  beautiful 
flowers  which,  in  the  year  1815,  when  ihey  were  in  full  bloom, 
had  been  unkindly  accused  of  assuming  as  their  motto, 
"  Vivent  nos  amis  les  ennemis  !" 

In  the  garden  attached  to  this  hospital,  and  which  was 
full  of  large  beds  of  tulips,  &c.,  in  flower,  I  found  only  one  old 
woman.  She  was  sitting  on  a  chair,  reading,  with  her  right 
foot  resting  on  a  pillow  lying  on  a  stool.  At  a  little  distance 
beyond  her  I  came  to  a  "rotunde,"  entitled  "salle  aux 
bain8,"t  containing  sixteen  baths,  each  surrounded  by  white 
curtains,  and  heated  by  a  large  '^ohaudiere"|  adjoining. 


♦  Siok-wards. 


f  Bath-room. 


X  Stove. 


S84 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


After  meetinff  and  overtaking  a  number  of  old  wom^  crawl- 
ihg  and  hobbling  in  various  directions,  I  was  conducted  into 
the  kitcben  of  the  establishment,  a  long,  narrow  room,  con- 
taining, in  separate  compartments  heated  by  coal,  three  hot 
plates,  each  comprehending  twelve  coppers.  There  ^was  also 
an  oven  for  roasting.  The  gods  and  goddesses  of  this  crea- 
tion consisted  of  seven  young  men-cooks,  in  white  jackets, 
white  waistcoats,  white  trowsers,  white  night-caps,  and  two 
maids  in  nice  black  gowns  and  black  caps  edged  with 
white. 

From  the  kitchen  I  proceeded  to  an  eating-hall  (there  are 
five  of  them),  admirably  lighted  at  both  sides,  containing 
three  rows  of  tables  of  light  oak  colour,  at  which  on  rush- 
bottomed  chairs,  700  old  women,  in  two  batches,  dine  per 
day.  ,  . 

It  appears  that  between  sunrise  and  sunset  these  tooth- 
less old  goodies  are  fed  three  times,  as  follows :  from  seven  to 
eight,  in  two  squads,  they  drink,  in  their  second  infancy, 
warm  milk ;  between  eleven  and  twelve  they  have  soup,  with 
the  beef  that  made  it ;  between  four  and  five  they  mtinch 
"  legumes  et  dessert,"*  the  precise  meaning  of  which  it  would 
be  very  difficult  to  detail. 

There  are  forty-six  dormitories,  some  of  which  contain 
100  beds.  The  one  I  entered,  and  which,  as  is  usual  at  Paris, 
was  lighted  throughout  its  whole  length  on  both  sides,  con- 
tained in  thjree  rows  forty-six  beds.  The.  pillows,  counter- 
panes, and  window  curtains  were  all  white.      v 

In  a  large  detached  building  are  1200  lunatic  women, 
who,  I  have  been  informed,  are  admirably  attended  to,  but 
whom  the  public  are  very  properly  not  allowed  to  visit. 

I  was  now  conducted  to  a  range  of  buildings,  built  by 
Cardinal  Mazarin,  upon  which  I  observed  inscribed  ''  B^ti- 
ment  Mazarin,  lere  Piv.  Reposantes,"  a  receptacle  for  aged 
and  infirm  women  who,  during  their  youth,  were  servants  in 
the  establishment,  and  who,  in  consideration  thereof,  besides 
gratuitous  lodging,  have  the  same  food  which  they  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  receiving,  but  no  wages.  In  1662  nearly  ten 
thousand,  poor  people  were  received  here.  At  present  the 
number  of  "  reposantes"  amounts  only  to  350,  divided^  into 

three  grades : — 

>• 
*  Vegetables  and  denert 


1 1 

w 


'  ♦ 


ONSERVATCJiE'  DE8  ARTS  ST  METIEltS. 


885 


\\ 


■      1st.  Those  who  were  ''  surreillantes"*  have  three  rooms 
each. 

2nd.  "  Sous-surveillanteB,"t  two  rooms  each. 

3rd.  "  Filles  de  servioe,"|  one  room  each. 

Beyond  this  building  is  the  ''^oours  d'oavriers,"&  contain- 
ing shops  for  carpenters,  joiners,  carriages,  and  eignt  horses 
for  bringing  provisions  to  the  establishment. 

As  I  had  now  hastily  gone  oyer  this  magnificent  hospital,  I  re- 
turned with  my  guide  through  the  great  green  entrance  square,, 
and  a  more  merry,  happy  scene  I  never  beheld.  Not  a  bon- 
net was  to  be  seen,  but  either  in  caps  white  as  snow,  or  in 
gaudy-coloured  handkerchiefs,  the  old  women  were  walkine. 
talking,  and  sitting  with  their  friends,  who,  as  I  have  stated, 
on  Sundays  are  allowed  to  visit  them  from  twelve  to  four, 
during  the  whole  of  which  time  a  sergent  de  ville  (agent  of 
police),  in  his  cocked  hat,  uniform,  and  sword,  is  to  be  seen 
walking  magnificently  up  and  down  before  the  great  entrance 
gate,  to  guard  the  establishment  from  improper  intruders. 


•  ••■ 


CONSERVATOIRE  DES  ARTS  ET  METIERS.  B 

From  the  Hospice  de  la  Yieillesse  I  hastened  in  a  small 
four-wheeled  citadine  to  a  vast  building  in  the  Rue  St. 
Martin,  formerly  the  ancient  abbey  of  >'St.  Martin  des 
Champs,"  upon  the  outside  of  which  is  inscribed— 

/»  , 
« Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Metiers:" 

a  magnificent  establishment,  maintained  by  the  public  purse, 
for  the  instruction, — ^by  eratuitous  lectures,  especially  on 
Sundays,  and  by  the  exhibition  of  machines,  models,  draw- 
ings, and  apparatus  of  the  most  scientific  nature, — of  mechan- 

•  "  *  ■ 

*  Saperintendenta  t  Female  servants, 
f  Aasbtant  ditto.                                   gWork-yards. 

I  Museum  of  Arts  and  Trades. 


286 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FBENOE  STICKS. 


ioB  and  workmen  of  every  desoription.  In  this  <  laudable 
object  are  employed  fifteen  professors  of  practical  geometry 
and  mechanics,  natural  philosophy,  manufaotural  economy, 
agriculture,  manufaotural  mechanics,  descriptive  geometry,  ' 
manufaoturid  legislation,  practical  chemistry,  and  the  oeramio 
art.  *  _ 

O^^p^ring  the  great  gate  of  this  college  for  the  indus- 
trial j^i^es,  gratuitously  open  to  Ihe  public  on  Sundays  and 
Thursdays,  from  ten  to  four,  and  before  which  I  found  pacing 
two  sentinels,  I  passed  through,  in  succession,  a  series  of 
|i]plendid  exhibition  rooms,  of  which  I  can  only  attempt  to 
W-lfi  ft.  very  faint  outline. 

^  in'^e.  lower  halls  I  found,  admirably  arranged  and  beau- 
tifully lighted,  models  of  cranes  and  of  machines  of  various 
descriptions,  of  powder-mills^  and  of  the  apparatus  employed 
for  elevating  the  obelisk  of  Luxor  to  its  present  site  on  the 
Place  de  Concorde.  At  the  latter  a  mechanic,  dressed  in  ft  n 
blouse,  was  vory  clearly  explaining  to  three  or  four  workmen,  \\ 
similarly  attired,  the  power  and  application  of  the  ten  sets 
of  double  blocks  that  had  principally  performed  this  mechan- 
ical feat.  Adjoining,  two  soldiers  in  green  worsted  epaulets 
were  pointing  out  to  each  other  the  operative  powers  of  a 
spinning-machine ;  a  little  farther  on,  groups  of  people  were 
looking  in  silence  at  models  of  silk-mills  under  glass,  of 
various  powerful  processes,  furnaces,  gasometers,  &o. 

In  a  lar^e  arched  hall,  lighted  at  both  sides,  I  found  in 
two  divisions  a  variety  of  ploughs,  spades,  shovels,  &nd  tools 
of  all  possible  and  impossible  forms  of  application;  waggons, 
carts,  harrows ;  model  of  a  horse  skinned,  showing  the  posi- 
tion and  mechanical  bearing  of  all  the  great  muscles ;  models 
of  windmills,  threshing  machines,  farm-buildings,  farm  har- 
ness, ^0.,  &c. 

After  ascending  a  very  handsome  double  stone  staircase, 
I  entered  on  its  summit  a  fine  hall,  close  to  the  door  of  which 
was  appended  the  following  notice  : — 

.  *' Ayis-Conform^ment  aux  ordres  de  M.  le  Minisire  de  rAgriculture 
et  du  Commerce,  et  de  I'Avis  da  Ck>nBeil  de  Perfectionnement : — '  Lci 
belle  colleotion  d'instruments  de  physique  que  poss^de  le  ConsATatoii>e 
dee  Arts  et  M^era  sera  ouverte  a  ravenir,-— 


CONSEBVATOIBE  DM  ABTS  ET  METIERS, 


387 


w 


lique,  etc.,  les  Jeudis  et  les  DimaDches,  a  partir  du  Jeudi,  24  Janvier. 

" '  L'AdminiBtrat«ur  du  Conservatoire, 

"•A.MOBDf.'» 

"  Paris,  22  Janvier,  1860." 

In  a  room  headed  '' Physique  et  M^caniqne,"  besides 
chemical  and  physical  instruments  of  various  sorts,  were  col- 
lected models  of  railroads,  locomotive  engines,  tenders,  car- 
riages, furnaces,  air-pumps,  galvanic  batteries,  also  a  powerful 
electrifying  machine,  which  apparently  possessed  the  faculty 
of  attracting  to  itself  every  human  being  within  sight  of  it. 
On  approaching  it  I  perceived  a  circle  of  faces,  all  convulse.d 
with  laughter  at  the  sudden  loud,  healthy  squall  of  a  fine- 
looking  young  woman  who,  from  possessing  in  her  composi- 
tion a  very  little  of  Eve's  curiosity,  had  just  received  a 
smart  shock. 

"  Tout-partout  !"t  she  exclaimed,  as  soon  as  she  recovered 
herself,  to  the  inquiry  of  her  little  sister,  who,  with  an  uplift^ 
ed  face  of  fearful  anxiety,  affectionately  asked  her  '^  Where 
it  had  struck  her?" 

In  a  department  headed  "  Verrerie"  I  found  on  one  side 
models  of  glass  houses  of  various  constructions,  and  on  the 
other  an  omnium-gatherum  of  locks,  padlocks,  mechanical 
instruments,  and  models  of  various  descriptions.  In  this 
room  I  passed,  carrying  an  infant,  a  maid-servant  dressed  in 
a  conical  cap  like  a  sugar-loaf,  more  than  a  yard  high. 

In  a  hall  headed  "  G^om6trie"  were  models  of  breakwa^ 
ters,  bridges,  arches,  staircases,  cast-iron  roofs,  of  all  descrip- 
tions ;  also,  a  model  of  a  temple.  In  a  splendid  gallery  136 
yards  long,  and  headed  ^'  Ceramique,"  were  various  specimens 
of  glass,  porcelain,  &o.  In  a  room  headed  "OhauffageSj 
^  Eclairages"  were  patterns  of  lamps,  stoves,  and  furnaces. 

*  Notice. — ^By  order  of  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  and  Commeree, 
and  by  the  advice  of  the  Ck»uncil, — 

The  beautiful  collection  of  instruments,  ibo.,  for  the  improvement  of 
arts  and  trades,  shall  be  opened  in  future, — 

To  men  of  science,  artiste,  and  workmen,  on  Thursdays  and  Sundays^ 
from  the  24th  Januaiy. 

A.  MoBiir, 
Paris,  22nd  Jan.,  1860.  Chief  of  the  Museum. 

f  All  over  me  I 


r<»"** 


dsa 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FMMCH  STICKS, 


•  In  one,  not  very  oorreotly  named  '^  Aobnstique,  G^dtfsie,'* 
I  fottnd  almost  every  visitor  within  it  congregated  in  the 
vicinity  of  some  mirrors  that  so  -distorted  the  countenances 
of  every  one  who  looked  at  them  that  several  ladies,  in 
spite  of  the  most  earnest  entreaties,  pdsitively  refused  to 
approach  them.  The  few  who  did,  suddenly  screamed,  and, 
putting  both  hands  before  their  faces,  ran  away  amidst  roars 
of  laughter.  On  looking  into  the  first  I  was  introduced  to 
my  own  face  flattened  in  so  extraordinary  a  manner  that  it 
resembled  John  Bull  himself,  under  a  free-trade  pressure 
that  had  made  his  features  twenty  times  as  broad  as  they 
were  high.  On  standing  before  the  next  I  appeared  as  if  I 
had  suddenly  had  the  honour  of  being  created  President  of 
the  United  States,  for  my  face,-  which  was  a  couple  of  feet 
long,  was  as  sharp  and  narrow  as  the  edge  of  a  hatchet,  and 
yet  every  feature  was  distinctly  perceptible. 

On  coming  out  of  this  admirable  institution  I  inquired  of 
a  very  intelligent  young  man  dressed  in  a  blouse  the  way  to 
the  General  Post  Office,  at  the  ''  Bureau  Restunte"  of  which 
I  had  been  informed  there  were  lying  some  letters  to  my 
address ;  and  although  it  was  raining,  he  insisted  on  accom- 
panying me  through  three  crooked  streets,  in  which  he  said 
LTwas  afraid  I  should  otherwise  lose  my  way. 

As  we  were  walking  he  told  me  he  was  a  "•  m^oanicien," 
and  that  he  had  just  returned  to  Paris  fr^m  the  Great  Exhi- 
bition in  Lolddon,  where  he  had  been  employed  to  unpack  and 
arrange  the  machinery  he  had  taken  over.  I  asked  him  how 
he  had  fared.  He  replied,  "  Parfaitement  bien  I"*  but  after 
praising  the  intelligence  of  the  English  people,  he  said,  ''  II 
Y  a  trop  de  s^v6rit6  dans  leurs  moeurs  ;"t  and  he  then  theoret- 
ically explained  to  me  what  apparently  unconsciously  he  was 
in  person  practically  demonstrating,  namely,  the  advantages 
to  a  countrv  of  politeness.  In  reply  to  these  remarks  I  repeat- 
ed to  him  the  observation  of  an  American  who,  in  preaching  on 
the  same  text,  very  cleverly  and  truly  said  ''  1  guess,  my 
friends,  you  can  catch  more  flies  with  molasses  wan  with 
vinegar !" 

♦  Perfectly  weU  I  \ 

f  There  is  too  much  severity  in  their  mamierR. 


it 
i 


»» 


«3W*V" 


PANTHEON. 


289 


JN 
/ 


PANTHEON. 


I 


On  getting  ont  at  the  office  of  the  Omnibus,  I  saw  immediately 
before  me,  in  the  middle  of  a  great  square,  a  magnificent 
building,  composed  apparently  of  an  ancient  temple  and  a 
church. 

The  former — ^whioh  forms,  in  fact,  the  portico  of  the  latter, 
and  which  stands  above  a  flight  of  eleven  steps,  extending  for 
its  whole  length,  and  overlooking  the  iron  railing  that  divides 
it  from  the  square — is  composed  of  a  triangular  pediment 
129  feet  long  by  22  feet  high,  supported  by  eighteen  very 
handsome  Corinthian  columns  6  feet  in  diameter  and  60  feet 
high. 

The  ohuroh-looking  building  contains  three  domes — a  very 
large  one,  a  smaller  one,  and  a  lantern  surrounded  by  a  gallery 
and  balustrade — one  above  another. 

The  object  of  this  splendid  pile— for  it  is  not  a  church — is 
sufficiently  explained*  by  a  series  of  figures  in  relief  by  David, 
representing  on  the  triangular  pediment  of  the  portico,  France, 
a  figure  15  feet  high,  attended  by  Liberty  and  History,  sur- 
rounded by,  and  dispensing  honour  to,  Voltaire,  Lafayette, 
Fen^lon,  Bousseau,  Mirabeau,  Manuel,  Garnet,  David,  and,  of 
course.  Napoleon  and  the  principal  heroes  of  the  republican 
and  imperial  armies.  Beneath,  in  letters  of  gold,  is  th^::  fol< 
lowing  inscription: — 


*im^ 


"  Aux  Grands  Hommes  la  Fatrie  Reconnaissante."* 


On  entering  this  splendid  edifice,  the  interior  of  which,  80  ^ 
feet  high,  is  a  cruciform,  302  feet  long  by  255  broad,  enlightened 
from  above  by  the  beautiful  dome  and  cupola,  surmounted  by  ' 
the  lantern  I  have  described,  and  by  six  semi-circular  windows  ' 
in  the  massive  walls  of  the  building,  I  was  much  surprised  to 
^nd  that,  comparatively  speaking,  it  was  as  empty  as  an  empty 
barn  !     From  the  lofty  cupola  there  slowly  vibrated  a  pendu 
lum,  the  lower  extremity  of  which,  slightly  touching  some 

^  ^  *  To  great  men  by  a  grateful  countiy. 


t290 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


loose  sand  on  the  pavement,  was  yery  beantifully  demonstrating 
the  earth's  moyemont  round  the  sun. 

Within  the  immense  almost  vacant  space  I  ohserved  three 
statues,  namely,  of  Clemency,  of  Justice,  and,  lastly,  of  Im- 
mortality, who,  in  June,  1848,  while  she  was  standing  with  a 
pen  in  one  hand  to  record  the  "  deeds  "  of  Frenchmen,  and 
with  a  crown  of  glory  in  the  other  to  reward  them,  was  sud^, 
denly  almost  shivered  to  pieces  by  a  cannon-shot,  which  for 
the  moment  threatened,  so  far  as  she  was  concerned,  for  ever 
to  destroy  the  immortality  she  was  so  generously  dispensing 
to  others.  After,  however,  having  been  very  cleverly  stuck 
together  again,  she  returned  to  her  everlasting  occupation  and, 
so  far  as  I  could  judge  from  looking  at  her,  is  not  a  bit  the 
worse  for  the  accident. 

On  the  four  pilasters  that  support  the  gr^at  dome  there  is 
inscribed — 


v>\ 


"Noms  des  Citojens 

Moris  poor  la  defense  dcs  Lois  et  de  la  Liberty 

Les  27,  :b3,  29  JuiUet^  1880."* 


Amyk 


\\ 


Their  names  rere,  however,  in  letters  so  small  that  I  could 
not  read  them,  and  I  was  beginning  to  think  I  had  come  a 
long  way  to  see  a  very  little,  when  I  observed  a  handsome- 
looking  priest,  three  or  four  soldiers,  and  two  persons  dressed 
en  bonr^ois  following  an  official  very  finely  attired,  who  had  a 
lantern  in  one  hand  with  a  few  tallow  candles  dangling  in  the 
other ;  and  I  had  scarcely  joined  the  party  when  we  were  con- 
ducted by  our  magnificent  guide  to  a  door  or  opening,  where 
we  descended  some  steps  into  a  series  of  vaults  containing,  in 
various  descriptions  of  tombs,  the  bones  of  great  men,  whose 
names  the  guiae  repeated  so  monotonously,  so  glibly,  and  so 
fast  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  only  occasionally  com- 
prehend him.  At  the  tomb  of  Voltaire,  whose  splendid  tal- 
ents had  been  so  grievously  misapplied,  I  had  but  jnst  time 
very  hastily,  by  the  light  of  one  little  thin  tallow  candle,  to 
copy  the  following  inscription:   "Auz  manes  de  Voltaire, 

♦  Names  of  Citizens  ^ 

who  died  in  the  defence  of  the  Laws  and  of  Liberty,     '  ' 

on  the  28th,  27th,  29th  of  July,  1830. 


vA 


PANTHEON, 


-:\  K. 


2dr 


I'AssembUe  Nationale  a  d«or6t6  le  30  Mars,  1791,  qu'il  ayaii 
m^ritd  les  honneurs  dus  aux  grands  hommes  I"* 

From  it  the  guide,  in  mnte  silence,  led  as  circuitoosly  into 
a  comer  in  whion  was  apparently  nothing  at  all  to  be  seen ; 
he  however,  struck  the  wall  yer^  violently  with  a  board,  lyinf 
on  purpose  beside  it,  and  there  immediately  resounded  from  all 
directions  a  lou«!  report  which  echoed  and  re-echoed  along  the 
passaees  and  bver  the  bones  of  the  dead. 

We  now  retraced  our  steps  through  darkness  rendered  vis- 
ible by  the  gleam  of  liffht  the  thin  little  candle  occasionally 
oast  upon  the  soldiers' l)right  buttons  and  on  the  gold  lace  ^ 
the  cocked  hat  of  our  guide.  On  ascending  into  the  world— 
that  is  to  say,  into  the  Pantheon — ^we  all  trudged  hastily  across 
its  stone  and  marble  pavement  to  the  foot  of  a  small  staircase, 
leading  by  441  steps  to  the  highest  of  the  three  domes.  The 
young,  idle  soldiers  abandoned  the  undertaking,  but  the  two 
citizens  followed  the  guide,  the  priest  followed  them,  and  I  f(d^ 
lowed  him. 

On  reaching  the  top  of  the  first  dome,  from  which  we  were 
enabled  to  look  down  into  the  great  Pantheon  beneath,  "  Mon- 
sieur l'Abb6,"  as  we  all  called  him,  who,  I  had  observed,  had 
been  slightly  puffing  for  some  time,  took  out  from  underneath 
his  veiy  handsome  gown,  a  large  tobacco-bag,  a  lucifer-matoh, 
a  small  pipe,  \diioh  he  lighted,  and  then,  adjusting  his  three- 
cornered  hat,  and  looking  at  us  all  very  good-humouredly,  he 
fltuok  the  thing  into  his  mouth,  its  wire  cover,  suspended  by  a 
short,  little,  silvered  chain,  dangling  beneath  it.  He  was  a 
remarkably  fine,  handsome,  able-bodied,  useful-looking  man  of 
about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  his  black  bands,  edged  with 
white,  ornamented  a  neck  and  throat  of  unusual  strength  and 
thickness. 

On  arriving  at  the  top  of  the  interior  dome,  supported  by 
thirty-two  Corinthian  columns,  resting  on  the  lower  dome,  we 
all  found  ourselves  more  or  less  out  of  breath. 

"  Sacre  nom  !"*  said  Monsieur  l'Abb€,  wiping  his  brow  with 
his  hand,  as  his  stout  foot  attained  the  last  step.  Above  us 
on  the  ceiling  of  the  dome  I  beheld  a  picture,  containing  3256 
superficial   feet,    of  Glovis,  Charlemagne,  St.  Louis,    Louis 

*  To  the  Manes  of  Voltaire,  the  National  Assembjy  decreed  on  the  8Qih; 
of  March,  1*791,  that  he  bad  merited  the  hououi's  due  to  great  men.     ^rrU 
fHolvnamel 


202 


A  FAOOOT  OF  FliENClI  STICKS. 


XYIII.,  and  three  gigantic  fluttering  naked  avgols,  holding  in 
their  hands  a  scroll,  on  which,  in  large  letters,  was  iuscribod 
the  word  "  Gharte,"*  garnished  with  innumerable  heads  and 
wings.  Daring  the  third  ascent,  the  staircase,  although  not 
very  narrow,  was  so  steep  that  mv  face  was  constantly  within 
a  few  inches  of  the  black,  stout  balustrade  calves  of  the  legs  of 
Monsieur  I'Abb^,  whose  gown,  twitched  up  by  a  loop,  left  them 
at  liberty  ;  and  somehow  or  other  I  was  thinking  of  English 
''  navvies,"  when,  happening  to  look  upwards,  I  saw  descending, 
feet  foremost,  a  pair  of  white-stockinged  legs  of  a  totally  dif- 
ferent description.  I  can  say  no  more  of  them,  for  infinitely 
sooner  than  I  can  write  the  words  there  rustled  by  me  a  lady's 
silk  gown. 

On  arriving  at  the  object  of  our  ambition — the  small  balus- 
trude  surrounding  the  lantern  which  forms  the  summit  of  the 
Pantheon — there  burst  upon  us  all  a  magnificent  panorama  it 
would  be  utterly  impossible  to  describe.  The  whole  of  Paris 
—every  window,  every  chimney,  were  distinguishable ;  and  as 
the  atmosphere  was  as  clear  as  that  of  the  ocean,  and  as  tho 
sun  was  shining  with  its  full  power,  the  contrasts  between 
strong  lights  and  deep  shadows  was  most  beautiful.  Immedi- 
ately beneath  was  the  green  water  of  the  reservoir.  From  it 
my  eyes  irregularly  wandered — or  rather  revelled — along  the 
course  of  the  Seine  wHh  its  various  bridges,  to  palaces  in  all 
directions  ;  to  the  Tuileries ;  to  the  Louvre ;  to  the  Arc  Tri- 
omphale  de  I'Etoile ;  to  the  dome  of  the  Invalides ;  to  Mont- 
martre ;  to  the  distant  Fort  St.  Yal^rien  ;  to  the  Gardens  of  the 
Luxembourg ;  to  the  gilt,  dazzling.  Mercurial-looking  figure  on 
the  suminitt  of  the  monument  on  the  Place  de  la  Bastille,  &o. 
Amidst  the  mass  of  houses  in  all  directions  prostrate  beneath 
me,  two  or  three  broad,  straight  paved  streets,  diverging  to  their 
respective  destinations,  were  strikingly  contrasted  with  the  in- 
numerable crooked  ones  which  here,  there,  and  everywhere  ap- 
peared for  a  short  distance  until  they  dissolved  into  roofs  and 
stacks  of  chimneys  of  different  colours  and  shapes.  In  an  an- 
cient picture  of  Paris  forty-six  years  before  Christ,  which  but 
the  day  before  I  had  been  looking  at,  the  isle  of  Paris  only 
contained  a  few  rudely-constructed  huts  without  chimneys  I 
The  view  was  as  instructive  as  it  was  fascinating,  and  I  should 
say  no  one  can  truly  declare  he  has  seen  the  metropolis  of 

France  who  has  not  witnessed  it. 

.     ■  t 
.     *  Tlie  Charter. 


rASTJIEOX 


293 


m- 


On  tlio  summit  of  the  Pantheon  I  was  so  impressed  with 
the  uttor  iusi^nificanoe  of  the  deeds  of  "  great  men,"  in  compar 
rison  with  light,  air,  and  other  natural  beauties  and  blessings  of 
creation,  that  I  would  fain  have  enjoyed  mv  location.  As, 
however,  my  worthy  comrades.  Monsieur  I'Abbd,  and  the  rest 
of  my  party,  had,  I  found,  on  looking  around  for  them,  left  me, 
and  as  I  was  afraid  if  I  remained  i  might  be  locked  up,  I  de- 
scended to  the  cold  paV^sment  of  the  interior  beneath,  and  after 
again  wondering  at  its  emptiness  I  determined  to  take  my  de- 
parture.  On  approaching  the  door  I  observed  on  the  walls  the 
following  notice,  which  appeared  at  the  moment  to  be  rather 
inconsistent  with  the  inscription  on  the  magnificent  triangular 
pediment  above  it : — 

"L'Inspecteur  du  Pantheon  Boussign6  declare  que  les  huit  gardiens  de 
ce  monument  n'out  d'autre  aalaire  que  ce  que  donuent  lea  visiteurs.— 

BOUOAULT."  * 

On  coming  into  the  warm  open  air  my  ideas  of  grandeur 
were  also,  I  m.ust  own,  a  little  disconcerted  by  seeing  on  the 
iron  railings  which  encircled  the  Pantheon,  on  a  tiny  tricolor 
flag,  afi&xed  to  a  staff  not  bigger  or  longer  than  a  mopstick,  the 
words  "  Liberte,  Fraternite,  Egalit6." 

Crossing  the  square,  I  descended  in  a  cabriolet  on  two 
wheels  towards  the  Seine,  through  a  street  (the  Bue  St. 
Jacques)  so  delightfully  crooked,  irregular,  and  so  sociably 
narrow,  that  people  living  in  opposite  houses  could,  apparently, 
from  their  windows  shake  hands  with  each  other.  Beside  me, 
in  the  carriage,  sitting  on  a  piece  of  sheep-skin  doubled,  was 
the  driver,  dressed  in  rusty  black,  with  a  broad  piece  of  dingy 
crape  round  his  hat.  He  had  a  club-foot,  only  half  a  nose, 
but  was,  nevertheless,  loquacious,  and  so,  almost  of  his  own 
accord,  he  explained  to  me  that  a  small  four-wheeled  publio 
carriage  that  passed  us  was  called  "  un  milord;"  that  a  "cita- 
dine  "  is  also  sometimes  called  a  ''  coup6 ;"  and  that  a ''  fiacre  " 
has  two  horses. 

As,  according  to  custom  in  Paris,  he  was  driving  me  on  the 
wrong  side  of  everything  we  met,  I  asked  him  whether  he  found 
any  difference,  good  or  bad,  in  his  occupation  since  the  Bevo- 

*  The  Inspector  of  the  Pantheon  declares  that  the  eight  guardians  of 
Uiis  monument  have  no  other  salary  than  that  given  to  ti^em  by  viaitont. 
Signed  BouoAUW.    ,  ^  s>i*«  ,>*,^ua.  4*  ,***»»  f   • 


mmmmmmm 


294 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


lution  ?  He  answered  he  did  not  gain  now  half  as  much  as 
l>efore. 

"Why?"  said  I.     - 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  quand  le  commerce  marohe  " — 
here  he  gave  his  poor  horse  a  hard  whip  on  his  shoulder — "■  il  y 
a  beaucoup  de  gens  qui  font  leurs  courses ,  quand  il  n'y  a  pas 
de  commerce,  ib  font  leurs  courses  h  pied."  * 

"  Have  you  ever  been  to  the  top  of  *the  Pantheon?"  said  I, 
ruminating  on  the  magnificent  prospect  it  had  afforded  me. 

"  No,  never,"  he  replied.  "  I  have  been  thirty  years  in 
Paris,"  ne  added,  '<  but  have  never  mounted  to  that  !'*' 


£>r 


-♦•♦-•- 


i 


HOSPICE  DBS  ENFANS  TROUVtJS. 

f - 

Once  upon  a  time,  a  gentleman,  entering  a  fiacre  after  rather 
too  good  a  dinner,  desired  the  coachman  to  drive  him  "to  ttie 
Demi."  After  rumbling  through  Paris  for  some  time  the 
carriage  stopped  suddenly  at  the  corner  of  a  street.  "  Quel 
numSro,  Monsieur  ?"  f  said  the  driver,  speaking  very  quietly 
over  Lis  shoulder.  The  gentleman,  on  looking  to  his  right, 
saw  just  above  him,  inscribed  on  the  wall,  "  Rue  d'Enfer  "  !  | 
In  the  sam^  street,  almost  immediately  opposite  to  that  mag- 
nificent observatory — ^the  eastern  front  of  which  is  considered 
to  be  the  latitude  of  Paris;  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  which 
French  philosophers  have  also  traced  its  longitude ;  in  which 
are  telescopes  for  looking  into  the  heavens ;  an  anenometer  for 
indicating  the  direction  of  the  wind ;  pluviometers  for  ascer  • 
taining  the  amount  of  rain  that  falls  at  Paris  during  the  year ; 
astronomical  instruments  of  every  description ;  a  theatre  capa- 
ble of  holding  800  persons,  in  which  ML  Arago  gives  bis  lec- 
tures; also  a  magnificent  library  of  45,000  volumes — I  came, 
before  dinner,  to  a  small  tricoloured  flag,  dangling  at  the  end 
of  a  sort  of  barber's  pole,  pointing  upwards,  over  a  square  hole 
in  a  wall,  about  18  inches  high  by  20  inches  broad,  filled  up 

*  When  trade  prospers^  a  number  of  people  ride ;  when  there  is  no 
trade,  they  walk. 

f  What  number,  Su>f  f  Hell-etreet    '^;  •'i.'<> 


w 


f  ' 


HOSPICE  DBS  ENFANS  TROUVES. 


i295 


W 


up 


no 


witH  a  black  circular  board,  that  looked  as  if  it  were  a  letter- 
box, but  which  is  iu  fact,  a  **  tour,"  or  little  turn-about,  for  the 
reception  of  **  babbies ;"  and  as  the  idea,  on  the  mere  showing 
of  the  case,  appeared  an  odd  one,  and  as  the  institution  is  open 
to  the  public,  1  ran^  at  the  large  eate,  and  as  soon  as  it  was 
Ojpened  I  was  intending  to  explain  the  object  of  my  visit,  when 
the  porter,  who  knew  what  I  wanted  before  I  mentioned  it, 
told  me  to  sit  down  on  a  bench  in  the  hall,  and  then,  ringing 
a  bell,  added  that  a  person  would  almost  immediately  come  to 
attend  me. 

.]  With  the  concierge  or  porter,  who  now  walked  into  a  small 
room  in  front  of  me,  there  sat  a  nice,  homely,  benevolent-look- 
ing Soeur  de  la  Charity,  placidly  occupied  in  mending,  through 
dpectaeles,  her  coarse  rough  blue  serge  gown,  which  having,  for 
that  purpose,  been  turned  up  on  her  lap,  showed  me  about  a 
foot  and  a  half  of  a  white,  very  thick,  soft,  warm,  comfortable- 
looking  cotton  petticoat.  After  I  had  been  sitting  about  three 
or  four  minutes,  the  bell  I  had  pulled  rang  again,  and  the 
porter,  who  had  admitted  me,  opening  it,  a  woman  in  a  bright 
scarlet  eloak,  surmounted  by  a  white  cap  with  a  profusion  of 
blue  ribbons,  entered,  stating  she  had  just  come  from  Yalen- 
dennes  to  see  her  r'ece. 

The  porter  looked  as  stout  as  if  he  himself  were  Koins  to 
be  confined,-^!  mean  by  gout.  His  collar  was  red,  nis  face 
was  red,  and,  apparently  from  constitutional  reasons,  rather 
tban  from  any  other  cause,  it  instantly  became  much  redder. 
Somehow  or  other,  the  woman  in  scarlet,  rightly  or  wrongly  I 
know  not,  had  inflamed  it.  She  very  quietly,  after  passing  by 
die,  walked  into  the  little  room  opposite. 

"  Madame  est  tres  cavaliere  1 "  *  said  the  porter  to  the 
aoeur,  pointing  to  the  person  who  had  offended  him ;  the  soeur, 
however,  desisting  from  her  work,  but  without  dropping  her 
gown,  spoke  to  the  culprit  softly,  gently,  and  kindly. 

A  door  on  my  left  now  opened,  and  I  perceived  a  respecta- 
ble-looking woman,  who,  without  entering,  by  a  signal  with  her 
hand  gave  me  to  understand  she  was  ready  to  accompany  me. 
As  soon  as  I  was  beyond  the  door  she  had  opened,  I  found 
myself  in  a  large  hollow  square,  formerly  the  convent  of  the 
Pr6tres  de  I'Oratoire,  surrounded  by  the  buildings  of  the  in- 
stitution. In  the  centre  of  the  front  range,  three  stories  high,, 
there  beamed  that  emblem  of  order  and  regularity  which  ohft- 

^      "  "^  *  Madame  is  rather  too  free  t 


296 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


racterisea  every  public  establisliinent  in  Paris,  a  elook.  On 
the  left  were  inscribed  over  two  adjoining  doors  the  generic 
words  "Bureaux,"  " Eoonomal."  On  the  right  was  a  lofty 
chapel,  containing  two  tiers  of  windows.  t  'j . 

About  eighteen  years  ago  there  were  in  France  no  less 
than  296  foundling-hospitals,  into  which  babies — often  carried 
through  the  streets  three  or  four  together  in  a  basket  at  the 
back  of  a  porter  employed  to  collect  them — ^were  injected 
without  the  slightest  inquiry.  In  1833,  in  consequence  of  the 
great  mortality  that  had  been  observed  to  take  place  among 
them,  and  for  other  equally  cogent  reasons,  the  permission  to 
do  so  was  so  far  restricted  that  it  was  deemed  necessary  the 
infants  should  be  presented  with  ''  a  certificate  of  abandon- 
ment," signed  by  a  commissary  of  police,  who,  although  he 
was  permitted  to  admonish  the  mother  or  person  abandoning 
the  child,  was  not  authorised  to  refuse  the  certificate  required. 
This  check,  natural  as  it  sounds,  reduced  the  number  of  found- 
ling hospitals  to  152.  The  restraint,  however,  was  so  unpopu- 
lar that  in  1848  forty-four  councils  general,  out  of  fifty-five, 
voted  for  its  abolition ;  and  accordingly  at  present  babies  are 
received  through  the  black  turn-about  as  before.  They  are 
also  received  from  almost  any  mothers  who  declare  themselves 
unable  to  support  them ;  besides  which,  by  order  of  the  Pre- 
fect of  Police,  the  establishment  is  obliged  to  accept  orphans 
(from  two  to  fourteen  years  of  age),  and  also  the  children  of 
any  persons  who  will  certify  that  they  are  too  poor  to  maintain 
them. 

Almost  as  fast  as  the  babies  arrive,  the  healthv  ones  are 
despatched  into  the  country  to  women  who  receive  K>r  them,  at 
first,  four  francs  per  month,  which,  if  they  live  to  grow  older, 
is  gradually  increased  to  eight ;  and  it  has  not  unfrequently 
happened  that  a  young  mother,  who  had  abandoned  her  own 
child,  has  applied  to  the  foundling  hospital  into  which  she  had 
poked  it,  to  job,  for  the  sake  of  the  money,  as  a  public  nursling, 
an  infant  who,  for  aught  she  knows,  may  possibly  be  her  own ! 

With  these  extraordinary  data  rumbling  about  in  my  mind 
I  followed  my  attendant,  who  was  evidently  in  a  great  hurry, 
into  a  very  large,  long  apartment,  called  the  "  Creche."  ] 

Before  me,  but  rather  to  the  left,  I  saw,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, the  head  of  a  baby  noddling  in  the  arms  of  a  woman, 
and,  walking  up  to  her,  I  found  seated  with  her,  on  sixteen 
chairs  which  touched  each  other,  sixteen  country-looking  wo- 


HOSPICE  DES  ENFANS  THOVVES. 


297 


ex- 

an, 

■een 


men,  each  in  a  peasant's  dress,  everyone  of  them  with  a  baby'0 
head  resting  or  noddling  on  her  left  arm ;  and  the  reason  of  its 
noddling  was,  that  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  its  person  was 
swaddled  as  tight  as  if  it  had  been  a  portion  of  the  limb  of  a 
tree. 

As  several  of  these  women  appeared  to  me  to  be  old  enough 
to  be  grandmothers,  I  was  not  at  all  astonished  at  hearing  sev- 
eral of  the  infants,  as  I  walked  in  front  of  them,  cry ;  the  noise, 
however,  was  altogether  greater— the  chorus  infinitely  louder — 
than  I  could  account  for,  and  I  was  alike  stunned  and  astonished 
by  it,  when,  on  reaching  the  end  of  the  line,  I  feaw,  to  my  utter 
astonishment,  lying  in  one  tray,  jammed  closer  to  each  other 
than  the  notes  of  a  piano-forte,  in  little  black-edged  caps,  twelve 
babies,  apparently  born  at  the  same  minute,  rather  less  than  a 
week  ago. 

Such  a  series  of  brown,  red,  yellow,  pimpled,  ugly,  little  faces 
I  never  beheld.  Every  one  of  them  were  not  only  squalling, 
but  with  every  conceivable,  as  well  as  inconceivable,  grimace, 
were  twisting  their  little  lips  from  one  ear  towards  the  other, 
as  if  all  their  mouths  had  been  filled  with  rhubarb,  jalap,  aloes, 
mustard,  in  short,  with  anything  out  of  the  pharmacopoeia,  of 
this  world  but  what  they  wanted.  There  appeared  to  be  no 
chance  of  their  ever  becoming  quiet ;  for  one  squalled  because 
its  tiny  neighbour  on  each  side  squalled,  and  that  set  them  all 
squalling  ;  and  indeed,  when  the  chorus,  like  a  gale  of  wind,  for 
the  reasons  explained  in  Colonel  Reid's  history  of  hurricanes, 
to  a  slight  degree  occasionally  subsided,  their  little  countenances 
evinced  such  real  discomfort,  that  if  they  had  had  no  voices, 
and  for  want  of  them  had  made  no  noise  at  all,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  helped  pitying  them.  Nobody,  how- 
ever, but  myself  took  the  slightest  notice  of  them. :  The  nurses 
walked  about  the  room ;  the  sixteen  women,  leaning  their  bodies 
sometimes  a  little  backwards,  and  sometimes  a  little  forwards, 
seemed  to  be  thinking  only  of  lulling  to  rest  their  own  new 
charge. 

For  some  time  my  attendant  had  been  trying  to  hurry  me 
away  to  what  she  considered  more  important  scenes,  but,  without 
attending  to  her  repeated  solicitations,  I  stood  for  some  minutes 
riveted  to  the  ground ;  and  afterwards,  in  turning  round  to 
take  a  last,  lingering,  farewell  view  of  the  tray-full  of  babies,  I 
observed,  pinned  at  the  back  of  each  of  their  caps,  a  piece  of 


I 


298 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


w 


paper,  which  my  attendant  told  me  was  the  infant's  numberi 
whioh,  in  the  register,  records  the  day  or  night  and  hour  at 
which  it  was  received, — ^but  too  often  that  is  all  that  is  known 
9s\  earth  of  its  unfortunate  history. 

As  I  was  walking  through  this  lofty  and  well-liehted  room, 
the  floor  of  wUoh  I  was  astonished  to  find  so  polished  and  so 
slippery  that,  even  without  an  infant  in  m;^  arms,  I  could 
scarcely  keep  on  my  legs,  I  perceived,  on  looking  around  me, 
that  I  was  in  a  little  world  of  babies ;  in  fact,  there  were  no  less 
than  120  iron  cradles  1^11  of  them.  In  different  places  I  ob- 
served several  women  feeding  them  with  flat  glass  bottles,  in- 
tended to  represent  their  mothers.  At  the  end  of  the  room 
stood  a  statue  of  our  Saviour.  ^ 

>  My  attendant  now  led  me  into  a  hall  fuU  of  babies'  cradles 
on  one  side,  and  beds  for  matrons  on  the  other.  Then  to 
another  room,  containing  thirty-eight  cradles ;  but  as  soon  as, 
on  the  threshold  of  the  door,  she  informed  me  they  were  full  of 
infants  with  all  sorts  of  diseases  in  their  eyes,  I  whisked  round, 
and,  without  giving  her  my  reasons,  told  her  I  had  rather  not 
enter  it.  I,  however,  followed  her  through  a  long  room  full  of 
cradles,  surrounded  by  blue  curtains,  within  every  one  of  which 
was  a  sick  infant,  many  afflicted  with  the  measles ;  and  such  a 
variety  of  little  coughings,  sneezings,  cryings,  and  here  and 
there  violent  squallings,  as  loud  as  if  the  child  had  some  cuta- 
neous disorder,  and  they  were  skinning  it,  it  would  be  very 
difl'.cult  to  describe. 

There  were  two  rows  of  buildings,  which  I  had  observed 
from  the  windows,  and  which  my  attendant  told  me  were  full 
of  great  children,  whom  the  public  are  not  allowed  to  see.  She, 
however,  with  evident  pride,  showed  me  a  large  laundry,  two 
stories  high,  and  a  drying  ground ;  a  farm-yard  for  cows  and 
pigs ;  some  large  gardens  ;  and  an  establishment  of  thirty  yel- 
low 'buses,  with  a  cabriolet  on  the  top,  for  transporting  sixteen 
country  nurses  at  a  time  (the  very  number  I  had  seen  sitting 
in  a  row  waiting  for  their  'bus),  with  their  sixteen  babies,  to  the 
various  termini  of  the  railways  on  which  they  were  to  be  in- 
jected into  the  country. 

My  attendant  told  me  that  the  number  of  babies  and  chil- 
dren the  establishment  received  last  year  amounted  to  about 
5000 ;  besides  which,  they  have,  in  what  she  called  "  en  dep6t," 
1500,  belonging  to  women  who  are  ill  and  in  hospital,  in  which 
case  the  establishment  relieves  thom  of  all  their  children.    Of 


SOSPICE  DES  ENFANS  TROUVES, 


^ 


as. 


Ilie  $000,  all  will  bd  strj^^orted  by  the  "  Hospice  "  until  they 
are  twenty-one  years  of  age,  or  are  apprenticed,  or  otherwise 
jprovided  for.  Besides  the  necessary  amount  of  servants  and 
nurses,  there  are  thirty-four  Sceurs  do  la  Charity,  three  Priests 
(freres),  and  one  "  Instituteur."  The  total  expense  of  the  in- 
stitution amounted,  in  1848,  to  1,378,213  francs. 

My  attendant  now  led  me  to  what,  instead  of  the  last,  ought 
to  have  been  the  first  letter  of  her  alphabet,  namely,  the  <'  tour," 
or  turn-about,  in  which  babies,  as  soon  as  the  lamps  are  lighted, 
are  received.  At  first  I  saw  nothing  but  a  small  piece  of  dis- 
mal-looking dark  wood,  but  on  turning  it  round,  there  ffradually 
bpened  to  view  a  little  cushion  of  straW;  covered  with  fitded 
green  stuff;  and  yet,  simple  as  it  was,  I  felt  it  impossible  to 
look  at  it  without  being  deeply  impressed  with  tne  political 
fallacy  that,  with  good  .ntentions,  offers  to  the  women  of  France 
in  general,  and  of  Paris  in  particular,  a  description  of  relief  and 
assistance  which,  strange  and  dreadful  to  say,  of  all  the  animals 
in  creation,  no  other  living  mother  but  a  woman  would  accept  f 

On  inserting  an  infant  into  this  tiny  receptacle, — which  not 
only  severs  it  for  ever  from  maternal  care,  but  which  I  have  no 
doubt  has  produced,  on  the  hard  pavement  of  the  dark  street 
in  which  the  act  has  been  so  repeatedly  committed,  unutterable 
feelings  and  raving  attitudes  of  misery,  altogether  beyond  the 
power  of  the  poet  or  the  painter  to  describe, — a  bell  is  either 
rung  by  the  depositor,  or,  on  the  child  squalling,  it  is  turned 
round  by  the  guardian  in  waiting,  lifted  out,  numbered,  and  on 
the  following  day  baptised  with  a  name. 

I  was  now  at  the  door  at  which  I  had  entered ;  but  as  I 
had  been  thinking  of  a  few  statistics  I  wished  to  obtain,  after 
remunerating  my  attendant,  I  walked  by  myself  across  the 
interior  hollow  square  into  the  department  headed  "  Bureaux." 

The  superintendent  was  out,  and,  seated  in  the  office,  I  was 
awaiting  his  return,  when,  looking  into  an  interior  room,  I  saw 
several  of  the  clerks  engaged  in  kindly  trying  to  pacify  a  gen- 
tleman who,  for  some  reason  or  other,  appeared  considerably 
excited,  and  who,  after  various  gesticulations,  such  as  placing 
his  two  elbows  almost  together  in  front  of  his  chest,  opening 
and  clenching  the  fingers  of  both  hands,  and  lifting  up  one 
foot  after  ^mother,  as  if  the  floor  was  unpleasantly  hot,  at  last, 
in  a  very  squeaking  tone,  and  with  tearful  eyes  and  cheeks, 
expressive  of  the  most  bitter  grief,  cried  exactly  like  a  child. 
The  picture  under  any  piroumstancea  would  have  attracted  a 


300 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS.. 


w 


moment's  attention ;  but  what  rendered  it  to  my  mind  more 
than  ordinarily  amusing  was,  that  the  fellow  had  a  very  long, 
well-oombed,  black  beard,  which,  as  he  shook  it  in  crying,  kept 
tapping  the  buttons  of  his  waistooat  1 


-•-•-•- 


LBFATB  ET  LAFITTB. 


My  purse,  when  I  left  London,  had  contained  but  little  money, 
and  as  that  little,  for  a  variety  of  very  small  reasons,  no  one 
of  which  could  I  recollect,  had  every  day  grown  rather  less, 
unlocking  my  writing-box,  I  opened  my  letter  of  credit,  which, 
I  felt  quite  proud  to  read,  was  adrcssed  to  what  appeared  to 
me  to  bo  the  California  of  Paris — ^namely,  "  Lafitte  and  Co. 
Maison  Dor6e,*  Bue  Lafitte."  Carefully  putting  it  into  my 
pocket,  I  descended  my  staircase  into  my  street ;  and  while 
everything,  influenced  probably  by  my  letter,  was  appearing 
to  me  ''en  couleur  do  rose,"  I  saw  approaching  me  a 'bus, 
driven  by  a  coachman  in  a  beautiful  glazed,  bright  yellow  hat, 
a  crimson  waistcoat,  a  nice  chocolate  coat  with  crimson  facings, 
and  fine  blue  trousers,  perched  high  above  two  white  very 
little  punchy  horses,  carrying  their  heads  low,  and  at  perfect 
ease. 

The  picture  exactly  corresponded  with  my  mind,  and 
accordingly,  holding  up  my  stick,  I  soon  found  myself  in  the 
interior  rumbling  sideways  along  the  Rue  de  la  Paix.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  alike  unknown  to  myself  and  to  her,  I  had 
sat  on  the  cowl  of  a  young  Soeur  de  la  Charity.  I  had  never 
seen  her  face,  and  probably  never  should,  had  It  not  been  that, 
as  I  sat  in  silence  by  her  side,  I  felt  a  very  little  twitch,  and, 
looking  round,  to  my  deep  regret  found  that,  in  turning  her 
head,  her  cowl  had  twisted  itself, — or  rather  I  had  twisted 
it, — so  that  what  ought  to  have  been  exactly  under  her  chin 
was  on  her  cheek.  I  looked  very  sorry;  she  looked  very 
kind ;  as  quickly  as  I  could  I  jumped  up ;  she  gently  shook 
her  feathers,  and  then  everything  appeared  as  delightful  as 
before. 

After  proceeding  a  short  way  along  the  Boulovart  des  Ita? 


*  The  gilt  house. 


-r 


ad 


LEFAYE  ET  LAFITTE.        ^  fj^^. 

liebs;  tlie  conductor  stopped  the  carriage,  and,  moving  .his  hand 
at  me,  I  walked  alons  the. 'bus,  descended  the  steps,  and  at  the 
corner  of  the  street  oefore  me  read  the  cheering  words  "  Bue 
de  Lafitte."  On  inquiring  in  a  shop  for  the  house  of  Mon* 
sieur  Lafitte,  I  was  desired  to  go  nearly  to  the  end  of  the  street, 
to  No.  24.  As,  however,  I  approached  my  goal,  I  began  to 
feel  that  either  I  or  the  numbers  of  the  houses  were  a  little 
tipsy,  for  above  my  head  I  read  15  and  21,  then  17  and  23, 
and  then  25.  At  last,  after  gaping  around  me  for  at  least  two 
minutes,  I  discovered  over  a  rich  substantial-looking  door  the 
number  I  wanted,  and,  accordingly,  ringing  at  the  bell,  I  told 
the  concierge,  apparently  I  have  no  doubt  rather  haughtily, 
but  really  and  truly  with  harmless  joy,  that  I  wanted  to  see 
"  Monsieur  Lafitte." 

"  II  ne  reste  plus  ici.  Monsieur  !"  said  the  woman  ;  and  on 
my  declaring  to  her  that  he  did^  she  added  very  quietly,  ''Non, 
Monsieur,  il  est  mort,  et  sa  femme  aussi  !"*  r 

"  He  can't  be  dead  !"  said  I  to  myself,  as,  slowly  walking 
away,  I  took  from  my  pocket  the  letter  of  credit  which  had  so 
delightfully  inflated  me. 

I  was  wondering  where  in  the  whole  world  I  should  find 
the  house  of  "  Lafitte,"  when,  close  before  me,  I  saw,  in  large 
letters,  the  word  "  Lepaye." 

The  house  of  Lefaye,  as  it  stood  before  my  eyes,  was  com- 
posed of  a  thin  narrow  shop-door,  immediately  above  which 
was  a  little  dark  boarded-up  window,  flanked  on  each  side  by 
a  Venetian  blind,  a  few  inches  long  and  broad,  giving  air  to 
some  dark  interior  cupboard.  Above,  was  a  tiny  window  of 
four  panes,  surmounted  by  an  arch.  One  side  of  Lefaye's 
door  from  top  to  bottom  was  garnished  with  a  bunch  of  onions, 
a  small  bundle  of  feather  brushes,  some  dry  and  very  old  let- 
tuces, six  little  rush  brooms,  and  four  bundles  of  yellow  things 
that  looked  like  carrots  stunted  by  adversity  into  radishes. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  door,  above  a  tiny  window,  was 
inscribed  in  three  lines — 


Bonilon 

et 
Boeuf ; 


n 


on  the  right  of  which,  one  above  another,  hung  four  bundles 
of  yellow  radishes,  a  little  salad,  and  a  bunch  of  carrots. 

*  No,  Sii*,  ho  is  dead,  and  bis  wife  too. 


tJtiti 


l^i'^^  i 


m 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRmOB  STICKS. 


W 


^  The. whole  of  the  house  of  poor  '^Lefaye"  oconpied  a 
feipaee  of  about  twelve  feet  broad  by  fifteen  in  height,  and  as  I 
looked  at  it  I  oould  soarcely  believe  that  close  to  it  in  some 
direction  or  other  was  the  <'  Maison  Dor^e"  of  "  Lafitte." 

As,  however,  the  above  address  was  contained   on  my 
letter  of  credit,  with  the  utmost  reliance  on  its  integrity  I 
asked  the  first  gentleman  I  met  to  be  so  good  as  to  tell  me 
where  was  the  "  Maison  Dor6e."     With  a  kind  bow  he  in- 
formed me  it  was  at  the  corner  of  the  Boulevart  des  Italiens, 
and,  accordingly,  retracing  my  steps  to  the  point  indicated,— 
that  at  which  1  had  descended  from  the  'bus, — \  saw  sure 
enough  a  large  house,  of  which  the  doors,  windows,  balconies, 
Und  spikes  on  the  roof  were  all  gilt  I     The  whole  of  the  lower 
floor,  however,  consisted  of  a  magnificent  cafft ;  and  as  that  I 
knew  was  a  place  for  spending  money  and  not  for  receiving  it, 
I  ascended  a  staircase  which  conducted  me  into  rather  a 
handsome  passage,  at  the  end  of  which  I  indistinctly  saw  a 
harmless,  infirm-looking  gentleman,  towards  whom  I  walked, 
intending  to  ask  him  whereabouts  in  the  Maison  Dor^e  I 
oould  discover  Monsieur  Lafitte?     On  approaching  him,  I 
found  he  was  myself!  or  rather  a  reflection  of  myself  in  a 
very  handsome  looking-glass,  which  covered  the  whole  of  the 
end  of  the  passage.     I  turned  back,  and  in  due  time,  at  tho 
end  of  the  opposite  passage,  I  saw  myself  again  !  and  as  I 
could  see  nobody  else,  I  descended  the  staircase,  and,  going 
into  the  cafS,  ascertained  that  Lafitte  and  Co.  lived  within  the 
porte-cochere  adjoining  the  staircase  I  had  ascended;  and, 
accordingly,  within  a  very  handsome  yard,  and  occupying  very 
good  apartments,  I  succeeded,  after  shooting  so  often  at  the 
large  target  of  Bue  Lafitte,  in  placing  my  arrow  into  the 
golden  ball. 

In  returning  homewards  through  the  Boulevart  des 
Italiens,  I  found  the  whole  breadth  of  the  footway  occupied 
by  a  crowd  of  well-dressed  people  watching  a  man  balancing 
four  eggs  on  the  points  of  four  spikes  which  he  had  ajffixed  in 
the  ground. 

A  little  farther  on  was  rather  a  smaller  crowd  around  a 
man  jabbering  praises,  till  he  almost  foamed  at  the  mouth,  in 
behalf  of  a  combined  inkstand,  penknife,  and  pencilcase,  tho 
parta  of  which,  with  a  great  deal  of  action,  and  with  the 
finger  and  thumb  only  of  each  hand,  he  kept  separating  and 


\ 


LEFAYB  ET  LAFITTR 


303 


then  aniting.  Beside  him,  with  a  tuft  of  hair  on  the  point  of 
his  ohin,  and  with  his  sword  pendent  at  his  side,  was  pacing 
very  slowly  a  sergent  de  police,  but,  as  is  usual  with  respect 
to  every  thing  that  a£fords  amusement  in  Paris.no  notice  was 
taken  of  the  ohstruotion  of  the  highway,  whicn  in  London, 
where  pleasure  is  subservient  to  business,  would  not  have 
been  allowed  to  exist  for  two  minutes. 

Farther  on  a  tall  man  in  mustachios  was  selling  cotton 
eravats.  He  trhew  down  on  the  pavement,  with  a  theatrical 
air,  a  large  bundle  of  them,  from  which,  after  extolling  them 
for  a  long  time,  he  selected  a  black  one,  then  a  green  one, 
then  a  spotted  one,  which  with  much  action  he  successively 
tied  round  his  own  handsome  bare  throat,  the  eyes  of  the 
crowd  gravely  following  every  handkerchief  throughout  its 
various  manoeuvres.  A  short  dowdy-looking  shopkeeper: 
stepping  forward,  purchased  a  red  one,  with  which  he  walked 
off,  no  doubt  expecting  that  it  would  look  as  well  around  his 
neck  as  it  had  just  appeared  around  that  of  the  tall  seller.    ^ 

As  I  was  observing  this  group  there  passed  me  several 
girls  of  about  13  or  14  years  of  age,  dressed  in  white,  and 
half  veiled,  exactly  like  brides.  Many  were  accompanied  by 
boys  of  their  own  age,  in  new  clothes,  with  a  white  and  silver 
scarf  on  one  arm.  On  inquiry  I  found  they  were  going  to  be 
confirmed,  and  I  then  recollected  having  observed,  in  shop 
windows,  a  quantity  of  little  manniken  shirt-fronts,  with 
turned  down  collars,  over  which  were  inscribed,  ''  Chemises 
pour  Irs  Communistes."*  t 

On  turning  round  the  comer  I  almost  ran  against  four 
soldiers,  carrying  on  their  shoulders  a  bier  or  tressel,  con- 
cealed by  little  hoops  about  two  feet  high,  covered  with  brown 
canvas,  and  evidently  containing  a  human  body.  On  inquiry 
I  ascertained  it  was  a  sick  soldier,  going  to  hospital. 

The  streets  of  Paris  at  once  announce  to  any  strangeir 
that  he  is  in  a  dry  climate,  inhabited  by  a  gay  people. 

In  passing  along  them,  on  whatever  subject  I  was  reflect- 
ing, the  extraordinary  startling  clearness  of  the  atmosphere, 
which  descended  to  the  very  pavement,  continually  attracted 
my  attention.  I  used  sometimes  to  fancy  I  saw  before  me 
the  picture  of  a  town  with  people  walking  about  it,  in  which 


% 


*  Slm'ta  for  first  Commttnicanta. 


iili  ■*f'^'3i\'^vv 


.at 


804 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


w 


tho  painter,  like  the  man  who  built  his  house  without  a  stair- 
case,  had-  forgotten  to  insert  the  smoke.  The  air  was  as  clear 
as,  indeed  much  clearer  than,  English  country  air  usually  is. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  roofs  and  grotesque  shapes  of  the 
tall  crooked  chimneys  were  to  be  seen  reflected  in  sunshine  on 
the  opposite  houses,  while  the  remaining  portion  of  the  build- 
ings, as  well  as  the  pavement,  which  had  just  been  swept, 
were  cool,  clean,  and  distinct. 

But  the  streets,  especially  the  narrow  ones,  have  at  all 
times  a  picturesque  appearance,  the  cause  of  which  I  was 
unable,  for  some  time,  to  comprehend  After  a  little  observa- 
tion, however,  I  found  it  proceeded  from  the  jumbled  com- 
bination of  an  infinite  variety  of  facades.  For  instance,  even 
in  the  Rue  St.  Honors,  the  houses  are  like  a  box  of  mixed 
candles,  composed  of  short  sixes,  long  fours,  "  bed-rooms,"  and 
rushlights  ;  and,  besides  being  of  different  heights,  the  aligne- 
ments  are  different.  Some  of  the  houses  have  stepped  a  few 
inches  forward,  some  have  retired  backward:  again,  some 
have  attics,  aome  have  spikes  on  the  roof,  others  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other.  Some  have  balconies  only  at  top,  some 
only  at  bottom,  others  from  top  to  bottom.  Again,  the  shops 
are  not  only  on  the  basement,  but  often  in  the  middle,  and 
occasionally  at  the  very  top  of  a  house.  There  exist  scarcely 
two  together  of  the  same  height.  Some  have  two,  some 
three,  advertising  boards  over  them.  Above  the  row  of  shops 
on  the  ground  floor  there  exists  an  entresol,  or  low,  inter- 
mediate story,  exhibiting  a  stratum  of  windows  of  the  most 
astonishing  variety:  one  contains  a  single  pane  of  glass,  in 
the  next  house  are  seen  two  one  above  another,  in  the  next 
two  alongside  of  each  other,  then  sixteen,  then  four,  then  an 
arched  window.  In  one  single  compartment  of  the  Rue  St. 
Honor6,  namely,  between  the  Rue  des  Frondeurs  and  Rue  St. 
Roch,  the  number  of  panes  of  glass  in  this  stratum  eccen- 
trically run  as  follows,— 20,  4,  8,  12,  12,  4,  16,  2,  2,  8,  8,  8,  9, 
4,  9,  16,  16,  12,  12,  12,  12,  4,  12,  2,  2,  8,  2,  12,  8,  8,  16,  6,  2, 
18,  12.  Of  the  above  the  smaller  number  often  form  larger 
windows  than  the  greater,  and  of  those  marked  16  and  12 
almost  all  are  of  different  shapes.  Lastly,  the  chimney-stacks 
and  chimney-pots  are  of  every  possible  shape,  size,  and  color ; 
and  as  the  street  itself  is  not  straight,  but  writhes,  its  motley- 
colored  architecture  appears  twisted  and  convulsed  into  all 


p- 


THE  ELY  SEE: 


305 


sorts  of  jpiotoresque  forms.  But  besides  this  extraordinary 
variety  I  found,  at  first  to  my  utter  surprise,  that  the  houses 
of  Paris  during  the  day  actually  change  their  shapes,  and  that 
an  outline,  which  in  the  morning  had  been  imprinted  in  my 
memory,  appeared  in  the  evening  to  be  quite  different,  simply 
because  every  house  in  the  French  metropolis  has  Venetian 
blinds,  which,  according  to  the  position  of  the  sun,  and 
occasionally  in  spite  of  the  sun,  at  the  whim  of  the  inmates  of 
the  different  stories,  are  opened  and  closed  in  an  endless  variety 
of  forms.  There  is  one  other  change  which  often  attracted 
my  attention.  In  driving  through  Paris  towards  the  east,  I 
always  observed  that,  as  the  poor  horse  that  was  drawing  my 
oitadine  slowly  trotted  on,  the  wealth  of  the  shops,  especially 
in  the  Rue  St.  Honord,  appeared  gradually  to  die  away. 

During  spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  the  people  of  Paris, 
as'  might  naturally  be  expected,  are  infinitely  fonder  of  their 
atmosphere  than  the  inhabitants  of  London.  Besides  balls 
and  concerts  in  the  open  air,  in  the  boulevards,  avenues,  and 
outside  all  the  great  caf6s,  crowds  of  people  are  to  be  seen 
seated  al  fresco  on  chairs.  The  windows  of  the  'buses,  no 
one  of  which  has  a  door,  are,  eveii  when  it  is  cold,  usually 
all  down,  and  not  only  are  many  windows  in  the  streets  wide 
open,  but  they  are  almost  invariably  made  with  a  contrivance 
for  keeping  them  throughout  the  day  ajar. 

But  the  climate  of  Paris  has  two  extremes,  and  I  was 
informed  that  in  winter,  just  as  if  all  had  suddenly  become 
chilly,  the  clear,  fresh  air,  so  profusely  enjoyed  in  summer,  is 
carefully  shut  out  from  almost  every  habitation. 


^ 


•■•■1  fi 


>•» 


.1  ,!  I  THE  ]fcLYS]fiB. 

As  the  ordinary  Paris  fiacres,  which  go  anywhere  within  the 
city  for  twenty-five  sous,  are  not  allowed  to  drive  into  the 
great  gate  of  the  Elys^e,  the  residence  of  the  President  of 
the  Republic,  and  as  the  "  entree"  is  granted  to  those  of  forty 
sous,  regardless  of  expense  I  hired  one  of  the  latter,  and  had 
not  rumbled  in  it  a  hundred  yards  when  I  came  to  the  line 


•-.*'   VV^'W^x**-"*'** 


— jr.it'^  Titv'j'^a^.a:^^  i7.^m 


•00 


A  FAQOOT  OF  FUmOIl  STICKS. 


of  oarriagea  proceeding  there.  Aa  my  coaohman,  however, 
was  for  the  occasion  gifted  with  an  ambasBador'a  pass,  we 
were  permitted  to  break  the  line^  and  we  accordingly  at  once 
drove  into  the  Court,  in  which  1  found  assembled  a  strong 
^ard  of  honour.  On  walking  up  the  long  ste|>s,  and  enter- 
ing the  great  hall,  I  saw  in  array  before  me,  in  very  hand- 
iome  liveries  ornamented  with  broad  lace,  several  stout,  fine- 
lookinff,  well-behaved  servants,  ono  of  whom  took  my  hat,  for 
which  he  gave  me  a  slight  bow  and  a  substantial  round  wood- 
en counter.  I  then  proceeded  into  the  first  of  a  handsome 
suit  of  small  rooms,  in  which  I  found  Prince  Louis  Napoleon, 
surrounded  by  a  circle  of  people,  principally  in  uniform.  He 
looked  pale  and,  generally  speaking,  pensive,  but  he  had 
somethinff  kind  to  say  to  everyoodv ;  his  manner  was  exceed- 
ingly mild,  afiable,  and  gentlemanlike ;  and  yet  it  was  inter- 
esting and  at  times  almost  painful  to  me  to  observe  that,  al- 
though at  every  new  introduction  his  countenance  beamed 
with  momentary  pleasure,  it  almost  as  invariably  gradually 
relapsed  into  deep  thought ;  indeed,  his  position — from  what 
is  termed  the  mere  showing  of  the  case — ^was  evidently  an 
impracticable  one. 

For  a  considerable  time  his  visitors,  of  their  own  accord, 
appeared  around  him  in  a  formal  circle,  of  which  he  was  the 
ornamental  centre,  and  then  all  of  a  sudden — ^like  the  change 
in  a  kaleidoscope — ^the  party  broke  into  little  groups,  and  he 
stood  almost  alone :  nay,  in  the  mere  act  of  bowing,  at  one 
moment  the  scene,  as  it  were  instinctively,  represented  mo- 
narchy— and  the  next,  as  if  the  visitors  had  suddenly  and 
uncomfortablv  recollected  something,  a  republic. 

Nevertheless,  throughout  the  wnole  of  the  rooms,  there 
existed  that  striking  anomaly  which  characterises  the  French 
nation — a  crowd  without  pressure.  In  conversing  with  one 
of  the  principal  aides-de-camps  I  asked  him  which  was  the 
room  in  which  Napolebn  had  passed  hie;  last  night  (I  did  not 
say  slept)  before  he  took  leave  for  ever  of  Paris.  In  reply 
he  was  obliging  enough  to  take  me  into  a  privati9  chamber, 
when,  pointing  to  the  ceiling  above  our  heads,  he  said  to  me 
— «  Le  voil^  !"• 

On  returning  to  the  suit  of  rooms  which,  constructed  in 
1718  £)r  the  Count  d'Evreux,had  since  been  the  residence  of 


♦TWaislt!  *^»  ^ 


\  » 


MARCIIB  DU  VIEUX  LINGS. 


807 


• 

Madame  de  Pompadour,  mistrens  of  Louis  XV.,  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  MariffD^,  of  M.  Beaujon,  (a  great  banker),  of  the 
GoTernment  rrmting  office,  of  Marat,  of  Mapoleon,  of  the 
Emperor  of  Russia,  of  Napulcon  agahi,  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, of  the  Duke  de  Berri,  uf  the  Duke  de  Bordeaux,  and 
bow  of  Prince  Louis  Napoleon,  President  of  the  Hepublio,  I 
stood  for  some  lime  close  to  two  of  the  boarded  party  called 
Red  Republicans,  and,  having  thus  rapidly  glanced  at  all  I 
desired,  I  retired  into  the  entrance-hall,  where  I  received  my 
hat  from  one  richly-dressed  servant,  pust  as  another  liveried 
menial  of  Democracy,  with  a  magnificent  voice,  was  calling 
out  very  lustily  and  with  becoming  importance — ^"  La  Voi- 

ture  de  Madame  la  Gomtesse  de II"* 

As  the  strange  political  history  of  the  building  I  was 
leaving  flitted  across  my  mind, 

"  Here,"  Baid  I  to  mytsel^  "  wo  ffo  up^  up^  up^ 
Here  we  so  down,  down,  down ; 
Here  we  go  baokwards  and  forwardfl^ 
And  here  we  go  rotmd,  roundi  round  I** 


>•> 


MAR0H6  DU  VIEUX  LINGE.t 


"  What  do  you  lack  ?  What  do  you  lack  ?" — ^^  Qu'est-ce  que 
vous  cherchez,  Monsieur  ?"|  said  a  ^oung  woman  to  me  very 
sweetly :  "  Qu'est-oe  que  vous  d^sirez  ?"^  repeated  one  of 
my  own  age,  rather  hoarsely,  ''qu'est-ce  qu'il  vous  faut?"|| 
"  Dites  done,  Monsieur  I"  said  another. 

What  I  really  wanted  was  to  be  allowed  to  walk  through 
the  busy  hive  I  had  entered  unmolested,  but  that  I  soon 
found  was  utterly  impossible.  I  had  evidently  come  to  buy 
something,  and  innumerable  mouths  of  all  ages,  on  my  right 
and  on  my  left,  one  after  another,  and  occasionally  half  a 


*  The  Cotmtefls  of . . . . 

\  Rag-market. 

%  What  do  yon  desire  I 


.'a  carriage  stop?  the  way  f 
"  What  are  you  loo! 
What  do  you  want  I 


ge  BWj'v  tu«  wnjr  i 

1  What  are  you  looldng  for  t 


•"1: 


308 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FliENCU  STICKS. 


dozen  together,  were  anxiously  inquiring  of  me  what  that 
something  was :  "  Qu'est-ce  que  e'est  que  Monsieur  desire  ?"* 

The  ancient  Temple  of  Paris  built  in  1222,  originally 
contained — ^besides  the  Palace  of  the  Grand  Prior  of  the  Or- 
der of  Knights  Templars  of  Jerusalem,  with  hotels,  gardens, 
and  dwellings  in  which  debtors  might  seek  refuge  from  arrest 
— a  large  tower  flanked  by  four  turrets,  in  which  Louis  XVI. 
and  his  family  were  not  only  iinprisoned,  but  from  which,  on 
the  21st  of  January,  1793,  he  was  separated  from  them  for 
ever,  to  be  murdered  on  the  Place  de  Louis  XV. 

In  1805  the  tower — every  dog  has  its  day— was  demolished, 
and  in  1809  Napoleon,  whose  extrordinary  mind  in  the  middle 
of  all  his  victories  conceived  the  formation  at  Paris  of  a  rag- 
market  !  converted  a  portion  of  the  ancient  Temple  into  the 
{)resent  "  Marchfi  du  Vieux  Linge,"  which  consists  of  an  estab- 
ishment  of  1888  little  low  shops,  about  the  size  of  an  English 
four-post  bedstead,  covering  a  space  of  ground  580  feet  in 
length  by  246  in  breadth,  divided  by  a  cruciform  path,  in  the 
centre  of  which,  isolated  from  the  hive,  is  a  bureau  full  of  Ar- 
gus-eyed windows  looking  in  all  directions.  Besides  the  four 
divisions  T  have  mentioned,  this  rectangular  space,  covered  by 
an  immense  wooden  roof,  is  subdivided  lengthways  into  thirty- 
six  alleys  or  paths,  barely  broad  enough  for  two  persons  to 
walk  together ;  and  breadthways  into  thirteen  passages  of  the 
same  narrow  dimensions.  Each  little  shop  is  usually  com- 
posed of  two  large  sea-chests,  which  at  night  contain  its  pro- 
perty and  by  day  form  its  counter. 

From  the  name  which  this  market  bears  I  had  fully  ex- 
pected to  find  within  it  nothing  but  a  sort  of  rag-fair,  instead  of 
which,  its  little  shops  contain  an  infinite  variety  of  cheap  mil- 
linery, linen,  clothes,  boots,  shoes,  and  iron-work,  old  and  new. 

As,  like  Gulliver,  I  strolled  through  the  strets  of  this  Lilli- 
putian city,  which  appeared  to  be  almost  exclusively  inhabited 
by  females,  I  was  pleased  to  find  as  much  propriety  and  polite- 
ness within  it  as  could  exist  in  the  Bue  St.  Honors ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, although  everybody  was  bargaining  for  rags,  &o., 
with  more  or  less  energy,  I  heard  "  Owi,  Madame  I"  "  iVbw, 
Madame  !"  resounding  from  various  directions.  ' 's 

In  one  tiny  shop  as  I  passed  it  I  observed  a  lusty  pay- 
sanne.  with  a  good  deal  of  agony  in  her  countenance,  sitting 


UM^ 


*  What  does  the  gentlemon  desire  I 


Si' 


» I 


MARcnE  Lu  vmnx  linge.  '■*■ 


309 


with  her  sturdy  right  leg  cocked  out  and  up  as  if  it  had  been 
of  wood.  "  Ca  vous  va  tris  bien,  Madame!"*  observed  the 
lady  of  the  shop,  who  had  just  succeeded  in  forcing  her  cus- 
tomer's big  foot  into  a  little  narrow  shoe,  at  which,  with  well- 
feigned  admiration,  she  kept  bowing  her  head  with  delight. 

As  I  was  sauntering  through  the  next  alley  I  saw  a  woman 
all  of  a  sudden  dart  out  of  a  shop  and  whip  a  diminutive,  new, 
bright  blue  satin  cap  on  the  head  of  an  infant  in  the  arms  of 
a  very  short  countrywoman,  who  for  some  time  had  been  de- 
murely waddling  on  before  me,  and  who,  indeed,  was  so  stout 
that  there  had  been  hardly  space  enough  for  me  to  pass  her. 
The  poor  good  mother  had  no  more  intention  of  buying  a  little 
bright  blue  satin  cap  than  I  had,  but  hef  child  looked  so  beau- 
tiful in  it  that  she  evidently  had  not  heart  enough  to  take  it 
oflF,  and  I  left  her  firmly  fascinated  to  the  spot,  which  I  have 
no  doubt  she  never  quitted  until  she  had  been  persuaded  to 
buy  the  cap. 

Again,  a  milliner  had  inveigled  in  a  shop,  about  the  size  of 
a  sea-steward's  cabin,  a  young  lady  who,  as  I  passed,  was  in 
the  dangerous  attitude  of  looking  into  a  large  glass,  while  the 
woman,  with  a  delightful  smile  on  her  face,  was  gracefully  tying 
under  her  victim's  chin  the  strings  of  a  new  bonnet. 

For  a  considerable  time  I  wandered  between  shops  full  of 
old  iron,  locks,  thousands  of  old  keys,  warining-pans,  saws, 
sauce-pans,  rat-traps ;  then  through  a  region  of  old  and  new 
slippers,  shoes,  half-boots,  boots,  and  jack-boots.  Then  I  got 
into  the  latitude  of  darned  stockings,  as  clean  as  new ;  shirts, 
old  and  new ;  empty  stays  that  had,  once  upon  a  time,  evidently 
been  brimful ;  faded  handkerchiefs,  washed  till  the  spots  had 
almost  disappeared;  gloves,  blankets,  coloured  gowns,  that, 
had — as  if  in  the  river  Styx — ^been  washed  into  the  pale  ghosts 
of  what  they  had  been.  In  one  of  these  shops  I  observed  an 
old  woman  trying  to  sell  an  old  sheet  to  another  old  woman, 
whose  shrivelled  forefinger  was  unkindly  pointing  to  a  great 
hole  in  it. 

On  changing  my  longitude  I  found  myself  amidst  new  mil- 
linery, artificial  flowers,  fine  gold  sprigs :  "  Qu'est-ce  qu'il  vous 
faut,  Monsieur?"  said  a  pretty  milliner,  screwing  up  her 
mouth,  to  me  as  I  passed  her.  Then  I  came  to  parasols,  and 
my  mind  finally  rested  on  ^  whole  world  of  mattresses. 

-   ^      •'■  ■•♦  It  fits  you  beautifully.  '    " 


310! 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCU  STICKS, 


11 


On  entering  the  little  isolated  glass  "bureau,"  or  office,  iti 
the  middle  of  the  establishment  I  had  just  visited,  I  found  two 
officers,  one  of  whom,  to  a  question  that  I  put  to  him,  briefly 
replying,  "  Je  ne  sais  pas,  Monsieur,"*  walked  out.  As  soon 
as  he  was  out  of  sight  the  other  officer,  with  great  politeness, 
expressed  to  me  his  regret  that,  as  a  stranger,  I  should  have 
received  an  answer  "  si  malhonnSte  ;"t  he  begged  me  to  pardon 
it,  to  give  myself  the  trouble  to  sit  down,  and  to  allow  nim  to 
afford  me  every  information  in  his  power.  Accordingly,  he 
told  me  that  the  1888  shops  committed  to  his  surveillance,  and 
open  from  sunrise  to  sunset  throughout  the  year,  are  let  by 
the  week  at  one  frank  and  forty  centimes  each,  with  an  extra 
charge  for  insurance  of  five  sous  a- week,  for  which  the  chef  of 
the  establishment  not  only  furnishes  guards  by  day  and  four 
watchmen  by  night,  but  holds  himself  responsible  for  theft, 
which  he  added  had,  although  a  large  portion  of  the  goods  are 
left  on  the  counters  at  night,  scarcely  ever  been  committed ; 
indeed,  the  demand  for  these  shops  is  so  great  that  there  are 
many  respectable  people  who  have  been  applying  for  one  to  the 
police  for  upwards  of  three  years. 

He  added,  that  the  four  squares  formed  by  the  two  cruci- 
form roads,  which  in  each  direction  bisect  the  establishment, 
are— 

1.  The  "  Palais  Royal,"  containing  modistes,  soieries,  robes 
de  bal:  in  short,  said  he,  it  contains  "tout  ce  qu'il  y  a  de 
beau!"t 

2.  Le  Oarr^-Nouf,  containing  "  modistes  et  lingeries."^ 

3.  Le  Oarr6,  containing  "  batteries  de  cuisine  en  lingerie."  || 

4.  The  ForSt  Noir,^  containing  shoes,  with  old  ironmon- 
gery of  all  descriptions. 

He  informed  me  that  in  the  establishment  many  persons 
had  occupied  their  stalls  since  they  were  originally  constructed 
by  Napoleon  in  1809,  and  that  several  had  made  "fortunes 
colossales."**  Lastly,  he  told  me  that  underneath  the  "  March6 
du  Vieux  Linge,"  in  the  centre  of  which  we  were  sitting,  are  sub- 
terranean vaults  which  for  many  ages  had  been  used  as  prisons. 

At  a  short  distance  eastward  from  the  market  just  de- 


*  I  don't  know,  Sir. 
jh  Milliners,  silks,  ball 
§  Millinera  and  linen. 
t  The  Black  Forest 


f  So  uncivil, 
every  thing  that  is  beautiful. 
I  Kitchen  utensils  and  linen. 
**  Colossal  fc;*tanes. 


.V2A»\m  LA  CBECEE. 


•K 


311 


Boribed  is  a  circular  bailding,  erected  in  1788,  when  the  Temple 
-was  a  sanctuary  for  debtors,  called  the  "  Rotonde,"  composed 
of  arcaded  shops  overflowing  with  all  sorts  of  old  uniforms, 
from  that  of  a  drummer  to  a  field-marshal.  In  one  I  saw  piles 
of  old  epaulettes,  belts,  and  shakos ;  in  others,  knapsacks, 

{>ouches,  and  red  tufts ;  in  another,  bales  of  dragoons'  old 
eather-lined  trowsers,  neatly  folded ;  in  another,  a  medley  of 
military  gloves,  cocked  hats,  and  gaiters ;  in  another,  heaps  of 
blue  trousers ;  in  another,  a  quantity  of  old  trunks,  also  balls, 
two  feet  in  diameter,  of  broad  woollen  list. 

With  brains  almost  addled  by  the  variety  of  old  clothes  I 
had  been  visiting,  on  leaving  the  Rotonde  I  stood  for  a  few 
moments  before  the  only  part  of  the  Temple  that  now  exists, 
namely,  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Grand  Prior :  which,  built  in 
1566,  was  converted  in  1814  into  a  convent  belonging  to  the 
''  Dames  Benedictines  de  TAdoration  du  St.  Sacrement."  Over 
the  entrance-gate  of  the  ancient  chapel  of  the  Temple  I  ob- 
served, deeply  engraved,  the  words  *'  Venite  adoremus :"  and 
strangely  mixed  up  with  this  sacred  invitation  there  appeared 
on  each  side,  painted  in  large  black  letters, 


i.{ 


"  LIBERTE,  BGALITi,  PRATERNIT^." 


•  V'-J.      M-..- 


•  •• 


LA  CRECHE.      ^"^  V"m)rf^^' ^H ,^t^*m 

In  the  Rue  St.  Lazare,  over  a  gateway,  No.  148,  leading  into 
a  small  yard,  I  observed,  printed  in  letters  of  various  sizes, 
the  following  inscriptions : — 

-      "Le  Roy,  Peintre."* 
•'Ds.  Ride,  SeiTurier."f  ■' 

"Fleury,  Tourneur  sur  Bois  en  tons  genres." \  '\\ 

Lastly, — 

" Creches  St.  Louis  d'Antin."     >   I,    .  ;    ^ 

On  the  right  of  the  gateway,  on  a  board,  was  written,  "  A 

*  Le  Roy,  Painter.  f  L.  Ride,  Lockmaker.     i    '  ?^' 

%  Fleury,  Turner  of  wood  of  nil  soi-ts. 


312 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCE  STICKS. 


lour  de  suite,  grand  et  petit  atelier."*  On  the  left  was  af-  \ 
fixed  a  little  red  box,  bearing  the  word  "  trono,"t  and  in  . 
white  letters  below, —  » 

"Pour  les  pauvres  petits  enfents/'t 

In  the  yard  I  saw  the  staircase  of  the  creche  I  had  come 
to  visit,  and  accordingly,  ascending  it,  after  two  little  turns, 
hardly  worth  recording,  I  found  myself  in  the  first  of  a  suite 
of  three  small  rooms  lighted  by  ten  windows,  several  of 
which  were  closed  only  by  Venetian  blinds.  The  rooms  were 
full  of  iron  cradles,  and  the  cradles  were  full  of  babies,  and 
the  babies  were  evidently  brimful  of  something  or  other,  for 
they  were  as  silent  and  quiet  as  if  they  were  dead.  At  the 
end,  on  the  wall  of  the  first  room,  was  a  statue  of  our  Saviour 
on  the  cross.  In  the  second,  dressed  in  coarso  black  gowns, 
on  the  shoulders  of  which  hung  a  white  napkin,  covering  the , 
headj  stood  two  Soeurs  de  la  Oharite  ;  and  as  one,  wearing  a 
long  black  rosary  terminating  in  a  black  cross,  on  which, 
there  appeared  a  figure  of  Christ  in  silver,  was  very  young 
and  pretty,  I  addressed  myself  to  the  other,  a  nice,  warm, 
comfortable,  honest-faced,  ruddy  woman,  of  about  forty-five, 
who  was  leaning  against  a  desk,  over  which  was  affixed  a 
statue  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  with  the  following  inscrip- 
tion:— 

*'  3EI«  troubmrtt  Tjentant  toutl&t  Irana  une  ntt\t,  ti,  oubrant  Uvxn 
trwors,  luC  offrirint  taa  Irons.  "§ 

In  each  of  the  twelve  arrondissements  of  Paris  is  estab- 
lished a  "  creche,"  or  house  of  reception  for  enfants,  under  the 
following  regulations : — 

1.  That  the  mother  be  poor.  /  " 

2.  That  she  works  out  of  her  own  house. 

3.  That  she  conducts  herself  well. 

4.  That  her  infant  is  not  sick.  ^^, ;-    -i.-'  ,, 

5.  That  it  has  been  vaccinated.  _      ' «   .  r 

*  To  let,  a  large  and  a  small  workshop.       ^     ' 
f  Money-box. 
•^  X  For  the  poor  little  children. 

§  They  found  the  child  lying  in  a  manger,  and  opening  their  treas- 
ures they  oflfered  him  giftst 


'^^T 


LA  CRECHE. 


8ld 


treaa- 


6.  That  its  age  does  not  exceed  two  years.  ^' 

Each  creche  is  governed  by  a  Conseil  d' Administration, 
composed  of  two  or  three  priests,  three  or  four  gentlemen, 
and  two  or  three  ladies ;  a  committee  of  ladies,  composed  of 
Madame  la  Presidente,  six  vice-presidents,  Madame  la  Tr6- 
soriere,  the  President  of  the  Medical  Committee,  and  about 
forty  or  fifty  Ladies  Inspectresses ;  a  Medical  Committee, 
composed  of  three  or  four  physicians  and  an  oculist ;  and, 
lastly,  a  Lady  Treasurer.  These  twelve  little  petticoat  legis- 
latures are  under  the  direction  of  a  central  committee  or  par- 
liament, which  from  time  to  time  frame  and  issue  general 
regulations  for  the  government  of  the  whole. 

Every  creche  is  open  from  half-past  five  in  the  morning 
till  half-past  eight  at  night  every  day,  excepting  f^te-days, 
for  the  reception  of  all  who  have  been  recommended  by  the 
Ijfdies  vice-presidents,  and  infants  examined  by  one  of  the 
physicians  of  the  creche.  The  mother  is  required  to  bfing 
her  child  in  a  clean  state,  to  furnish  linen  for  the  day,  and, 
if  she  can  afFord  it,  to  pay  twenty  centimes  (2c?.)  per  diem  for 
its  management.  She  is  required  to  suckle  it  when  she 
brings  it ;  to  come  and  repeat  the  dose  twice  during  the  day, 
and  again  at  night,  when  she  takes  the  thing  ("  la  creatura") 
away ;  for  under  no  circumstances  is  it  permitted  to  sleep  in 
the  creche. 

The  kind  sister,  having  very  good-humouredly  explained 
to  me  these  preliminaries,  conducted  me  into  room  No.  1,  in 
the  centre  of  which  there  was  what  she  called  a  "  poupon- 
niere,"  or  pound,  in  which  those  little  errant  infants  that  can 
stand  are  allowed  to  scramble  round  a  small  circular  en- 
closure, composed  of  a  rail,  just  high  enough  for  them  to 
hold.  Within  it  were  seven  or  eight,  all  dressed  in  red  caps, 
little  blue  frocks  covered  with  white  spots,  and  very  clean  white 
pinafores,  in  winter  exchanged  for  colored  ones  with  sleeves. 
Every  child  on  its  arrival  in  the  morning  is  stripped  of  its 
own  clothes,  which  are  hung  up  in  a  closet,  and  instead  there- 
of it  wears  throughout  the  day  the  costume,  or,  as  my  scour 
termed  it,  "  I'uniforme  de  la  creche,"  as  described.  At  night 
it  is  again  washed  and  re-dressed  in  its  own  clothes. 

Around  the  pouponniere,  against  the  walls  of  the  room, 
there  stood  shaded  by  white  curtains  fourteen  little  iron  bed- 
steads, 2  feet  8  inches  hia;h.  on  each  of  which  was  appended  a 


814 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


\ 


black  plate  of  iron,  bearing,  in  white  letters,  the  name  of  the 
charitable  person  who  had  given  it  (the  bedstead,  not  the 
baby)  to  the  creche.  The  bedding  consists  of  two  clean 
mattresses,  both  filled  with  oat-chaff,  a  soft  white  pillow, 
blankets,  but  no  sheets. 

In  every  one  of  these  cradle  bedsteads,  in  each  of  the  three 
rooms,  I  found,  as,  in  passing  along  with  the  soeur,  I  peeped 
into  it,  an  infant  in  a  pink  cap  fast  asleep.  One,  as  I  gently  ^ 
withdrew  its  curtains,  suddenly  twisted  round,  as  if  I  had 
stuck  a  long  pin  through  it.  Another  lay  quite  exhausted, 
with  its  little  toothless  mouth  wide  open,  and  with  a  fly  on  its 
nose.  One  had  flushed  cheeks  like  roses.  Another,  only 
twenty-five  days  old,  looked  flabby,  and  breathed  very  quick- 
ly. Another  was  sleeping  with  a  fist  on  its  left  eye.  Another 
had  his  right  arm  extended,  with  its  tiny  empty  hand  wide 
open.  Some  were  lying  on  their  sides,  some  on  their  backs. 
One,  with  its  eyes  open,  was  sucking  the  whole  of  its  hand. 
Another  was  crumpled  up  with  its  head  under  the  clothes, 
and  its  little  wrong  end  on  the  pillow.  One  slept  with  its 
elbow  up ;  one,  with  its  hand  under  its  cap,  was  pinching 
and  pulling  at  its  own  ear.  Of  one  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
but  the  back  of  its  pink  nightcap. 

In  each  room,  close  to  the  windows,  which  were  all  wide 
open,  stood  a  row  of  white  basins,  with  two  small  sponges  in 
each.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  hung  a  thermometer.  Out- 
side the  windows  of  the  three  chambers,  in  a  balcony  30  feet 
long  and  4  feet  broad,  covered  with  a  chequered  awning,  and 
wired  at  the  sides,  I  found  a  number  of  infants  in  "  uniforme," 
enjoying  the  fresh  air. 

The  soeur,  now  taking  hold  of  a  bunch  of  polished  keys, 
which,  beneath  the  black  rosary,  had  been  dangling  by  her  side, 
led  me  to  the  door  of  a  cupboard,  quite  full  of  bottles  of  nau- 
seous-looking medicine  of  various  sorts.  She  then  showed  me 
the  "  lingerie,"  a  large  wardrobe,  replete  with  blue  and  white 
clothes,  neatly  folded,  and  beautifully  clean;  a  passage,  in 
which  the  clothes  belonging  to  the  children  were  hanging  for 
the  day;  a  small  kitchen,  about  10  feet  square,  containing  in 
the  middle  a  hot  plate,  not  a  yard  square,  with  a  number  of 
little  pans  hanging  on  the  walls ;  and,  lastly,  a  little  room, 
containing  two  rows  of  exceedingly  small,  low,  rush-bottomed 
chairs,  all  possessing  a  certain  strong  family  likeness,  which 
need  not  more  accurately  be  described. 


ZA  ORECIIE.  ^  ^ifj 

*  As  we  were  walking  through  the  establishment,  I  observed, 
attending  to  the  children,  three  or  four  young  women,  dressed 
in  blue  gowns,  with  white  handkerchiefs  coverir^g  their  heads, 
and  ending  in  a  corner  down  their  backs.  Each  of  these  "  ber- 
ceuses" is  required  to  take  charge  of  six  infants  not  weaned, 
or  twelve  that  are  weaned,  or  twenty  that  can  eat  and  run 
alone.  The  youngest,  besides  the  natural  nourishment  their 
mothers  are  required  to  give  to  them,  are  kept  quiet  {i  e.  full) 
during  the  day  by  means  of  what  the  soeur  called  a  "  biberon," 
Anglice,  a  bottle  with  a  zinc  top.  The  weaned  are  collected 
together  into  a  pouponni^re,  where  they  are  filled  With  soup 
and  bread. 

Among  a  long  list  of  very  sensible  regulations,  by  which 
the  creches  of  Paris  are  conducted,  and  which  the  soeur  was 
good  enough  to  explain  to  me,  the  following  are  submitted  for 
the  consideration,  not  only  of  such  of  my  young  readers  as 
may  lately  have  happened  to  set  up  a  baby,  but  of  any  one 
who  secretly  believes  that  some  of  these  days  he,  she,  or  both, 
may  perhaps  have  one  or  possibly  two  : — 

No  flowers  are  admitted  into  the  creche. 

No  bonbons — no  cakes — ^no  painted  toys  to  suck.  .' 

The  curtains  of  cradles  should  never  be  entirely  closed. 

Every  baby  should  enjoy  "  pieds  chauds,  ventre  libre,  t6te 
fratche."  * 

It  should  never  be  lifted  by  one  arm. 

It  should  be  caressed,  but — (the  following  regulation  applies 
only  to  the  bahy) — seldom  kissed. 

It  should  not  be  awakened  when  asleep. 

It  should  be  seldom  scolded — never  beaten. 

If  an  infant  begins  to  squall,  the  best  way  to  quiet  it — 
"calmer  ses  cris" — is  to  play  to  it  gently  on  an  accordion. 

Lastly,  its  mother,  however  poor,  should  teach  it  "  h,  dtre 
aimable,  aimant,  poli,  bon,  reconnaissant."  f 

The  good  soeur,  now  taking  me  to  her  desk,  showed  me  a 
book,  containing  the  daily  report  of  the  physician,  whose  state- 
ments, open  to  the  public,  may  thus  be  verified  or  complained 
of ;  also  one,  ruled  like  an  almanac,  containing  the  addresses 
of  the  sixty  children  (the  present  number  of  inmates),  to  whose 
names  she  is  required  to  make  a  cross  every  day  they  come ; 

*  Warm  feet,  an  unconfiaed  stomach,  and  a  cool  head. 

f  To  be  amiable,  loving,  polite,  good,  grateful.  •' 


816 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


another  book,  for  the  lady  inspeotresses  of  the  day  (there  are 
no  less  than  sixty  of  them),  stating,  in  a  report  wnich  they 
then  sign,  the  number  of  children  received ;  another,  detailing 
not  only  the  number  of  children  admitted  per  annum,  but  a 
little  history  of  each,  i.  e.  their  names,  residences,  dates  of  ad- 
mission and  departure  ;  deaths,  if  any ;  their  parents,  with  the 
profession  of  each.  An  account-book,  very  clearly  written,  of 
receipts  and  expenses.  Lastly,  a  list  of  the  contents  of  the 
creche.  In  this  inventory  the  furniture  of  the  rooms  is  de- 
scribed as  follows : — 

Boom  No.  1.  "  Un  Christ,  un  b^nitier,  un  tronc." 
Boom  2.  "  Une  vierge,  une  horloge,  et  un  autre  tronc."  * 
Lastly,  the  soeur  gave  me  the  following  blank  printed  for- 
mula, which  the  ladies  inspectresses  (among  them  are  twenty- 
three  baronnes,  one  comtesse,  and  one  marquise)  are  daily  re- 
quired to  fill  up  : — 

Questionnaire  mr  la  Tenue  de  la  Crhche  pour  Jf  "••••  les  Inspeetricea.  f 

Mesdames  les  Inspeetricea  sont  prices  de  donner  un  rapport  dans  le  cou- 
rant  de  chaque  mois.  Ce  rapport  continent  les  r^ponses  aux  questions ;  et 
si  Madame  I'lnspectrice  juge  k  propos  d'y  mettre  quelques  observations, 
le  Comit6  les  examinera  tr6s  attentivement  i .    i^  ;, 

Jour  et  heure  de  la  visite: 

1.  L'escalier  est-U  propre  ?  /       '  ' 

2.  Combien  de  degr^s  marque  le  thermom^tre  ? 
8.  Les  salles  ont-elles  de  I'odeur  ? 

4.  Sout-elles  bien  rang^es  8 


f  last  of  Questions  on  the  State  of  the  Crhche  for  the  Lady  Inspectresses, 

The  Lady  Inspectresses  are  requested  to  give  a  report  in  tlie  course  of 
each  month.  This  report  contains  the  answers  to  the  questions ;  and  if  the 
Lady  Inspectress  thinks  proper  to  add  any  observations  to  it,  the  Com- 
mittee ■wiU  examine  them  very  attentively. 

The  day  and  hour  of  the  visit : 

1.  Is  the  staircase  clean  ? 

2.  At  how  many  degrees  does  the  thermometer  stand? 
8.  Is  there  any  bad  smell  in  the  rooms  ? 

4.  Are  they  well  an-anged  ? 


*  A  Christ,  a  holy-water  pot,  and  a  money-box.    A  Virgin,  a  clock,  and 
another  money-box. 


<> 


LA   CBECHE. 


317 


5.  Reste-t-il  des  vdtements  accrochda  au  mur  t  ^ 

6.  Les  couches  s^chent-elles  autour  des  ponies  I 
■7.  Les  lits  sont-Ufl  propres  ? 

8.  Les  paillassons  sont-ila  mouillSs } 

9.  La  cuisine  est-elle  propre  ? 

10.  Les  potages  sont-ils  bien  faits  ? 

11.  Les  berceuses  sont-elles  propres  sor  elles  ( 

12.  Sont-elles  toutes  d  leur  poste  ? 
18.  S'occupent-elles  bien  des  enfants  ? 

14.  Ne  regoivcnt-elles  pas  de  visites  particulidres  9 

15.  Ne  travaillent-elles  pas  pour  elles  ? 
Parlent-elles  durement  ou  grossi^rement  aux  enfiants  9 
Mangent-elles  dans  les  saUes  des  aliments  qui  ont  de  I'odeur  t 
R^pondent-elles  avec  politesse  aux  Inspectrices  et  aux  visiteurs  9 
Surveillent-elles  les  enfants  lorsqu'ils  sont  aux  lieux  d'aisances  ? 
'Nq  laisseut-elles  pas  trainer  des  ^pingles  4  terre  ou  sur  lea  bof* 


16. 

17 

18. 

19. 

20. 
ceaux? 

21. 

22. 

23. 

24. 

25. 
enfants? 


Les  enfants  sont-ils  bien  propres  ? 

La  surveillante  est-elle  4  son  poste) 

La  lingerie  est-elle  en  ordre  ?  . 

Les  registres  sont-ils  bien  tenus? 

Les  inures  sont-elles  contentes  des  soins  que  la  Or^che  doiinei  leuM 


5.  Are  there  any  clothes  left  hanging  up  on  the  wall  f 

6.  Are  the  children's  napkins  drying  around  tne  stoves  9 

7.  Are  the  beds  clean  9 

8.  Are  the  straw  mats  wet  9 
■     9.  Is  the  kitchen  clean  9 

10.  Are  the  broths  well  made  9 

1 1 .  Are  the  nurses  neat  and  clean  in  their  persons  9 

12.  Are  they  all  at  their  posts  9  '     ,,        .      -  . 

18.  Do  they  attend  carefully  to  the  children  9  '   ■'  '•      •  ■'  -  - 
14.  Do  they  not  receive  private  visits  9 

16.  Do  they  not  work  for  themselves  9 

16.  Do  they  speak  harshly  or  coarsely  to  the  children  9 

17.  Do  they  in  the  rooms  eat  any  food  with  a  strong  smell  9 

■     18.  Do  they  answer  with  politeness  the  lady  patronesses  and  visiters? 

19.  Do  they  watch  the  children  when  they  are  on  their  chairs  9 
-    20.  Do  they  not  di'op  pins  on  the  floor  or  on  the  cradles  8 

21.  Are  the  children  perfectly  clean? 
-,     22.  Is  the  Superintendent  at  her  post  9 

23.  Is  the  linen  in  good  order  ? 

24.  Are  the  registers  carefully  kept  ? 

26.  Are  the  mothers  satisfied  with  the  cai'e  and  attei  ion  bestowed  on 
their  children  at  the  Creche  ? 


.■>*«'J  ,   '■    '?M.",  V,v'-j'   ...Av•■^•   :■    :^  ■ti.i'--U^l-'\l   .  )...'i;i;V;^ii'     •! 


8iflr 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FUEHiVn  HTlVJiS. 


■■*>  \  U 


INSTITUTION  NATIONALE  PES  SOURDS-MUETS.* 

This  charitible  institution  (situated  in  the  Rue  de  St.  Jacques), 
for  the  reception  of  deaf  and  dumb  children,  from  eight  to 
fifteen  years  of  age,  whose  parents  have  not  the  means  of  edu- 
cating them,  is  open  to  public  inspection  on  Mondays,  Wednes- 
days, and  Fridays,  from  three  to  five  o'clock,  and  accordingly, 
on  calling  on  the  latter  day  at  the  hour  appointed,  I  was  po- 
litely received,  and  cheerfully  conducted  by  one  of  its  princi- 
pal superintendents  into  a  sort  of  garden,  in  which  I  found, 
under  the  charge  of  the  "  surveillant  en  chef,"  himself  deaf 
and  dumb,  116  fine,  healthy-looking  deaf  and  dumb  boys, 
dressed  in  blouses,  amusing  themselves  at  gymnastic  exer- 
cises, at  bowls,  and  at  a  Frenchified  description  of  leapfrog. 
-  A  happier,  ruddier,  and  more  joyous  set  of  countenances  I 
have  seldom  beheld,  and  I  was  returning  to  several  of  them  a 
small  portion  of  the  smile  or  grin  with  which  they  had  greeted 
when  all  of  a  sudden  a  drum  beat,  on  which,  just  an  if 


me 


they  had  heard  its  roll,  they  all  instantly  desisted  from  thoir 
games,  fell  into  line,  and  by  beat  of  drum,  with  which  their 
feet  kept  perfect  time,  they  marched  away,  following  the  drum- 
mer-boy, who  was  tilso  deaf  and  dumb. 

"  They  cannot  be  perfectly  deaf^^  I  said,  "  if  they  hear  that 
drum?" 

In  reply  my  guide  informed  me  its  roll  had  no  effect  on 
their  ears,  but  created  an  immediate  vibration  in  their  chests, 
which,  although  in  describing  it  he  had  put  his  hand  thereon, 
he  termed  "  dans  I'estomao." 

As  we  were  following  the  young  soldiers,  "  Where  are  the 
sixty  little  girls  ?"  said  I. 

Stopping  shortly,  he  replied,  very  gravely,  "  Visitors  are 
never  allowed  to  see  them}"^ 

"  Why  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  parce  qu'elles  ont  des  yeux.  EUep 

*  National  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb. 


mSTITUTION  NATIONALS  DES  SOURDS-MUETS.        319 

ne  sont  pas  comme  des  aveuglis.     II  n'y  a  que  les  pr^tres  qui 
peuvent  y  entrer  !"  • 

On  entering  the  Salle  des  Excrcioes,  which  I  found  full  of 
empty  benches,  and  in  which  I  was  introduced  to  an  exceed- 
ingly intelligent-looking  deaf  and  dumb  professor,  wearing  a 
long  black  beard,  I  was  shown  a  fine  picture  of  the  original 
founder  of  the  establishment,  the  Abb6  de  I'Ep^e,  embracing 
the  young  deaf  and  dumb  Count  de  Toulouse,  whom  he  had 
educated.  There  was,  moreoyer,  a  bust  of  the  founder,  as  also 
one  of  the  Abb6  de  Sicard,  who,  on  the  death  of  the  Abb6  de 
r£p6e,  in  1796,  undertook  the  management  of  the  establish- 
ment, which,  during  the  revolution  of  1789,  had  been  trans- 
ferred from  a  convent  of  Oelestines  to  the  buildings  of  the 
S^minaire  de  St.  Magloire,  where  it  now  exists. 

After  proceeding  along  a  passage,  my  guide  opened  the 
door  of  a  large  room,  which  I  found  nearly  full  of  the  boys  I 
had  found  playing,  now  as  busily  engaged  in  tailoring,  under 
a  person  for  whose  benefit,  in  return  for  his  imttruotion,  they 
were  sewing  and  stitching  with  great  alacrity. 

On  my  asking  this  professor  of  the  needle  and  shears  whe- 
ther his  pupils  understood  him  when  he  spoke  to  them,  he 
good-humouredly  replied,  "  We  have  no  occasion  for  many 
words ;  they  see  by  my  eyes  if  I  am  not  satisfied."  I  next  en- 
tered a  room  in  which  about  twenty  boys  were  engaged  in 
lithography,  the  details  of  which  they  executed  very  credit- 
ably. Several  of  their  drawings  on  paper,  afterwards  to  be 
transferred  to  stone,  were  very  beautiful,  and,  while  they  were 
thus  engaged,  others  at  the  end  of  the  room  were  working  the 
lithograthic  presses. 

In  the  next  room  we  entered  I  found  seated  on  stools, 
hammering,  grinning,  laughing,  and  altogether  looking  as 
merry  as  grigs,  twenty-two  young  shoemakers,  among  whom  I 
recognised  the  drummer.  To  this  boy,  while  the  professor 
was  gravely  explaining  to  me  his  own  duties,  I  made  a  slight 
military  movement  with  my  wrists  and  elbows,  at  which  he  in- 
stantly grinned,  and  the  boys  all — for  all  had  watched  me  from 
the  moment  I  had  entered — grinned  too  ;  the  professor  smiled, 
my  guide  smiled,  and  I  left  them  happy  and  hammering,  as  I 
had  found  them,  to  enter  a  room  in  which,  under  a  deaf  and 


*  Sir,  because  they  have  eyes.    They  ai-e  not  like  the  blind, 
persons  but  priests  are  allowed  to  go  to  them. 


No 


'  ( 


320 


"^  .   A  FAOaOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


dumb  instructor,  I  found  a  number  of  boys  employed  in 
turning. 

In  the  drawing  room  are  eight  double  benches,  on  whioh 
Bucoessively  every  boy  in  the  establishment  takes  his  seat,  for, 
although  in  other  studies  they  are  allowed  to  a  certain  dcgrco 
to  follow  the  bias  of  their  own  inclinations,  yet  all  are  taught 
to  draw,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them  with  facility  to  de- 
lineate the  signs  and  the  alphabet  by  whioh  they  are  enabled 
mutually  to  communicate  their  ideas  to  each  other.  The  dis- 
position of  their  time  is  as  follows  : — throughout  the  year  they 
rise  at  five,  in  order  at  half-past  to  be  at  their  studies,  at 
which  they  remain  till  seven,  when  they  breakfast,  and  at  half- 
past  seven  enter  the  various  workshops,  in  whioh  they  continue 
till  ten,  when  they  are  taught  reading,  writing,  arithmetic, 
geography,  and  history  till  twelve. 

From  noon  until  half-past  they  have  their  dinner,  or,  as 
my  guide  called  it,  their  "  grand  dlje(tn6."  *  They  then  play 
for  naif  an  hour  till  one,  when  they  go,  on  alternate  days,  to 
writing  for  an  hour,  till  two.  They  are  employed  in  reading, 
&c.,  till  four,  when  they  have  half  an  hour  allowed  them  for  a 
'■petit  repas"t  &nd  play.  From  half-past  four,  for  two  hours 
and  a  half,  they  are  again  in  the  workshops,  and  from  half- 
past  six  at  study  till  half-past  seven,  when  they  go  to  supper ; 
after  which  they  are  again  allowed  recreation  till  half-past 
eight,  when  they  all  go  to  bed. 

In  a  long  room  supported  in  the  middle  by  a  set  of  plain 
stone  columns,  lighted  by  windows  on  each  side,  also  at  both 
ends,  and  with  a  floor  of  oak,  waxed,  polished,  and  as  slippery 
as  glass,  I  found  sixty  plain  iron  bedsteads,  each  of  which,  be- 
sides comfortable  bedding,  had  an  exceedingly  clean  counter- 
pane. At  the  foot  of  every  bed  was  suspended  the  name  of 
its  temporary  tenant,  and  between  each  bedstead  a  small  "  ta- 
ble de  nuit."  At  one  end  of  this  airy  hall  there  stood  a  large, 
luxurious  bed,  in  which,  blinded  by  curtains,  and  deaf  and 
dumb,  reposes  and  snores  the  "  Surveillant :"  J  at  the  other 
end,  in  a  smaller  bed,  lies,  ourtainless,  the  "  Garqon  de  Salle."^ 
Between  the  two,  on  little  iron  pedestals,  I  observed,  stand- 
ing erect,  six  glass  tumbers,  half  full  of  oil,  to  give  a  feeble 
light  at  night.     The  lofty  windows  on  both  sides,  as  also  at 


*  Great  breakfast. 
%  The  superinlendent. 


+  Slight  refreshment. 
3  The  hall  servant. 


mSTITUTION  riTJONALE  DES  SOUBDS-MUETS.        321 

each  end,  wcro  wido  open,  and  at  each  end  of  the  hall  was  a 
large  orifice  in  brass  for  the  admission  of  hot  air  in  winter. 

Adjoining  to  this  healthy,  well-ventilated  dormitory,  I 
found  an  admirable  long  waHhing-room,  containing  along  its 
two  sides  a  leaden  trough,  above  which  protruded  from  the 
wall  sixty  water-cocks,  and  above  them  a  pole,  on  which  hung, 
touching  each  other,  sixty  towels.  In  the  corner  was  a  large 
tap,  which  on  being  turned  by  my  guide,  there  instantlv  rushed 
very  violently  from  each  of  the  sixty  smaller  ones,  along  the 
walls  of  the  room,  a  little  stream,  by  which  arrangement  every 
boy  enjoys  exclusively  his  place,  towel,  stream,  and,  moreover, 
his  proportion  of  that  commonwealth  the  public  trough.  In 
the  middle  of  the  room  was  a  long  table,  or  dresser,  beneath 
which  in  pigeon-hole  shelves  were  their  dressing-boxes. 

On  entering  the  chapel,  I  saw  above  a  plain  homely  altar 
— surrounded  by  rails,  and  on  which  there  were  only  six  can- 
dles— a  fine  and  appropriate  picture  of  Jesus  Christ  giving 
words  to  the  dumb  and  hearing  to  the  deaf.  There  was  also 
an  uifecting  picture,  drawn  by  Peyson,  a  deaf  and  dumb  artist, 
of  the  demise  of  the  good  Abb6  de  I'Ep^e,  around  whose 
death-bed  there  appear  the  Abbe  Sicard,  and  a  young  man, 
Antoine  Dubois,  now  ninety-four  years  of  age,  who  was  a  pupil 
of  the  Abb6  de  I'Epee,  under  whose  will  he  continues  to  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  the  institution. 

In  the  middle  of  the  chapel  there  stood  in  rows  twenty  oak 
benches  for  the  boys,  and  above  them  a  gallery  for  the  girls 
scientifically  arranged,  so  as  to  allow  them  to  see  the  altar 
without  being  able  to  look  at  the  boys.  The  service  is  con- 
ducted in  the  ordinary  manner, — that  is  to  say,  the  priest, 
sometimes  facing  his  deaf  and  dumb  congregation,  and  some- 
times turning  his  back  upon  them,  chants  and  sings  to  them 
just  as  if  they  all  heard  him. 

Although,  in  an  establishment  open  to  the  public  three 
days  a  week,  visiters  are,  as  I  have  stated,  not  allowed  to  in- 
trude into  the  department  allotted  to  the  girls,  and  although 
every  judicious  precaution  seems  to  be  taken  to  shield  the 
whole  of  the  young  inmates  from  evil,  all  are  very  properly 
allowed  to  go  to  their  parents  whenever  they  may  apply  for 
them ;  moreover,  on  Thursdays  and  Saturdays  they  are  taken 
out  to  enjoy  a  walk  through  the  gay  noisy  idtreets  of  Paris, 
which  to  their  senses  must  appear  as  silent  as  the  grave.    "'  i 


322 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENC.H  STICKS. 


r  1^'foiu  the  chapel  I  was  conducted  into  the  cleanest  and 
most  airy  dining-room  that  can  possibly  be  conceived.  On 
each  side  of  this  hall,  the  floor  of  which  was  flagged  very 
neatly  in  squares  placed  diagonally,  were  a  series  of  lofty 
windows,  most  of  them  wide  open,  and  in  the  middle  three 
long  tables  of  conglomerated  red  and  yellow  marble,  beneath 
which,  on  a  narrow  wooden  shelf,  were  arranged  the  napkin 
and  silver  mug  of  each  boy ;  besides  which,  I  observed,  lying 
close  to  one  of  the  common  benches  which  suri^ounded  these 
three  tables,  a  very  large  basket  brim-full  of  silver  spoons  and 
silver  four-pronged  forks,  marked  with  the  letters  "  S.  and  M." 
— a  just  satire,  I  whispered  to  myself,  on  the  inconsistency  of 
feeding  with  plate  deaf  and  dumb  boys,  whose  certificate  for 
admission  into  the  establishment  must  be  "utter  destitution V^ 
At  each  end  of  the  hall  are  arranged  crossways  three  tables  in 
a  row  for  the  masters  and  professors — all  deaf  and  dumb. 

I  was  now  conducted  into  the  open  air  to  a  sanded  prome- 
nade or  terrace  for  the  boys,  broad  enough  and  handsome 
enough  for  a  palace,  overlooking  a  large  walled  well-stocked 
kitchen-garden,  full  of  fruit,  at  which  they  are  permitted  only 
to  look.  From  the  end  of  this  terrace  was  a  flight  of  steps 
descending  into  a  large  space  shaded  by  trees,  the  playground 
and  gymnasium  in  which  I  had  found  the  boys. 

From  the  dining-room  I  secretly  prophesied  that  I  should 
be — and  I  was — conducted  into  the  kitchen,  which,  in  keeping 
with  the  rest  of  the  establishment,  was  light  and  airy.  In  it, 
as  ifl  usual  in  all  the  public  establishments  of  Paris,  I  found 
the  application  of  heat  so  scientifically  arranged,  that  within 
one  hot  plate,  only  eight  feet  in  length  by  five  in  breadth,  the 
smoke  of  which  was  carried  down  below,  the  whole  diurnal 
cookery  for  governor,  professors,  boys,  girls,  and  servants  was 
easily  performed. 

In  this  well-arranged  charity,  the  deaf  and  dumb  inmates 
of  both  sexes  are  instructed  by  means  of  two  different  lan- 
guages, namely,  by  alphabet,  and  by  what  is  significantly 
termed  "  signes  mimiques."*  In  their  various  studies,  where 
ax}curacy  of  expression  is  required,  the  formtr  only  is  permit- 
ted :  for  the  purposes  of  rapid  conversation  the  latter  is  not 
only  taught,  but  is  generally  used.  The  one  slowly  but  surely 
reaches  its  point,  while  the  other  dashes  towards  it  with  a  ge- 
nius and  impetuosity  which  are  highly  interesting  to  witness. 

*  Mimic  sigua,    " 


n 


INSTITUTION  NATIONALS  DES  SOUEDS-MUETS.         333 

For  in8tan«e,  as  I  was  desoending  a  winding  staircase, 
conversing  with  my  guide,  I  observed  a  fine  hetdthy  merry 
boy  rapidly  but  inquisitively,  as  he  passed  us,  touch  with  the 
fore-finger  of  his  right  hand  his  eyes  and  mouth.  It  was  to 
ask  if  the  chief  superintendent  (he  who  sees  all  and  talks  all) 
was  coming.  Another  boy,  in  running  fast  by  us,  interroga- 
tively made  with  his  right  hand  two  slight  undulating  motions. 
I  asked  my  guide  what  that  meant. 

^  "  He  asked  me,"  he  replied,  "  whether  you  were  not  a  for- 
eigner ('  d'outre-mer'),*  which  he  represented  by  figuring  with 
his  hand  the  waves  of  the  sea.  You  might  have  perceived  as 
I  was  talking  to  you  I  repeated  his  '  signe  mimique/  by  which 
I  informed  him  that  you  were  '  d'outre-mer.'  " 

In  taking  leave  of  this  interesting  establishment,  I  stood 
for  a  few  moments  in  the  entrance  square  to  look  at  an  object 
of  great  curiosity, — an  enormous  elm  (orme),  246  years  of  age 
and  90  feet  in  height,  which  had  been  planted  by  Sully,  minis- 
ter of  Henry  IV.  For  about  fifty  feet  its  tall  straight  stem 
has,  in  accordance  with  the  fashion  of  the  day,  been  lopped, 
but  the  remaining  forty  feet  of  branches,  the  bark,  and  fabric, 
show  no  signs  of  age ;  indeed,  it  is  considered  to  be  the  finest 
tree  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris. 

On  re-enteriiJg  the  Rue  de  St.  Jacques,  I  met  a  procession 
of  children,  from  three  to  five  years  of  age,  preceding  a  crooked, 
withered  woman,  who  from  old  age  was  apparently  able  to 
hobble  on  just  about  as  fast  as  they  had  learned  to  walk. 
One  little  follow,  without  a  hat,  and  with  black  shaggy  hair, 
had  on  the  bosom  of  his  frock  a  snip  of  scarlet  riband,  from 
which  dangled  an  eight-pointed  cross  of  some  sort,  the  ancient 
order  of  sugar-plums,  I  suppose.  As  I  was  looking  at  them, 
we  were  overtaken  by  a  line  of  schoolboys,  dressed,  as  is  usual 
in  Paris,  in  tight  blue  coats  edged  with  red,  with  a  jiggamaree 
ornament  embroidered  on  their  collars.  All  this  is  well 
enough ;  but  when  I  reflected  that  a  boy's  stomach  is  the  en- 
gine that  is  to  propel  him  to  advancement  in  the  army,  navy, 
law,  church, — ^in  fact,  in  every  profession  of  life, — I  could  not 
but  lament  the  foolish  French  practice  of  allowing  the  rising 
generation  to  pinch  in  their  waists  with  black  patent  leather 
belts,  which  must  surely  not  only  impede  the  circulation  of 
their  young  blood,  but  seriously  interfere  with  the  healthy 


*  Fi'om  beyond  the  eea. 


324 


\  1 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENCII  STICKS. 


digestion  of  their  food ;  and,  as  all  the  schoolboys  in  Paris  are 
thus  waspified,  the  distinction,  after  all,  is  nil  I 


-♦-•••- 


ROULAGE. 

I  HAD  rumbled  along  for  a  (considerable  time  in  an  omnibus, 
when  the  conductor— dressed  as  usual  in  a  blue  coat,  em- 
broidered silver  collar,  blue  trowsers,  with  black  leather  imi- 
tation boots,  silver  plaquet,  and  a  variety  of  little  silver 
chains  dangling  across  his  breast — ^pulling  his  string  to  stop 
the  carriage,  made  a  signal  to  me  to  get  out,  and,  as  soon  as 
I  had  obeyed  him,  pointing  to  a  small  office,  the  carriage 
drove  off. 

On  entering  it  I  found  no  one  but  its  superintendent,  who 
in  exchange  for  my  ticket  gave  me  another,  and  he  had  hard- 
ly done  so  when  several  people,  one  after  another,  came  in  to 
wait  for  the  same  'bus  I  was  waiting  for.  On  its  arrival  it 
was  raining  hard,  and,  although  I  was  pressed  for  time,  I  felt 
that,  as  those  who  were  in  the  room  were  principally  ladies, 
it  was  hopeless  for  me  to  expect  to  get  away,  especially  as  the 
carriage,  excepting  one  place,  was  full,  and  therefore,  while 
most  of  the  expectants  walked  towards  it,  I  remained  in  the 
office.  All  of  a  sudden,  however,  I  heard  the  superintendent 
call  out  "  Numero  1,"  and,  as  that  was  my  number,  I  emerged 
from  my  den,  ascended  the  step,  and  had  scarcely  filled  the 
vacant  place  when  the  vehicle  drove  on,  leaving  all  the  ladies 
in  the  street,  and  the  carriage  being  now  full,  the  conductor 
affixed  to  it,  over  his  head,  a  board  on  which  was  inscribed 
the  word  "  complet,"  a  signal  to  lusty  ladies  and  gentlemen 
not,  as  in  England,  uselessly  to  run  after  it. 

On  sitting  down,  withoxit  looking  at  anybody,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  fixing  my  eyes  on  that  part  of  the  woodwork  of  the 
roof  imniediately  before  my  eyes,  I,  with  the  forefinger  of  my 
right  hand,  slightly  touched  the  brim  of  my  hat.  The  effect 
it  produced  was  that  which  I  had  repeatedly  observed.  The 
people  of  Paris,  though  they  are  too  polite  to  appear 
even  to  notice  it,  are  constantly  offended  by  the  devil-may- 


■^^X'''''¥■^ 


BOULAGE. 


tl>>i.^i' 


325 


Ssh 


on  the 

of  the 

of  my 

effeot 

The 


care  way  in  which  an  Englishman,  pulling  his  hat  over  his 
eyes,  takes  his  place  in  a  public  conveyance ;  whereas,  if  he 
will  perform  but  the  slight  homage  to  their  presence  I  have 
described,  he  will  perceive  by  a  variety  of  little  movements 
that  his  desire  has  not  only  been  understood,  but  appreciated. 
By  performing  this  small  magic  ceremony,  I  observed  that 
the  'busful  of  people  were  anxious  to  befriend  me  in  anyway, 
and  although  it  is  not  the  custom  in  France  to  talk  in  an  om- 
nibus, yet  even  that  rule  was  broken  in  my  favour ;  indeed, 
I  had  scarcely  seated  myself  when  a  young  Frenchman  oppo- 
site to  me  spoke  to  me  in  English ;  and,  as  I  wished  in  return 
to  please  Idm,  I  told  him,  in  reply  to  his  query,  that  I  under- 
stood him  perfectly,  and,  to  reward  him  still  more,  I  repeat- 
ed it  in  French,  that  everybody  in  the  'bus — they  were  all 
listening — might  hear  it.  With  satisfaction  that  could  scarcely 
conceal  his  humility,  he  told  me  could  read  English  quite 
as  well  as  French :  "  Boat,"  said  he,  pronouncing  every  sylla- 
ble very  slowly,  "  eye  arm  vairi  opaque  een  spaking  de  Aing- 
leesh."  I  told  him  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  expressed  himself 
very  transparently. 

In  a  Paris  'bus  it  is,  very  properly,  deemed  unpolite  to 
encumber  fellow-passengers,  especially  ladies,  with  help  ;  and 
as  the  carriage  has  been  made  broad  enough  for  its  purpose, 
and  as  to  the  roof  are  afi&xed  two  brass  hand-rails,  people 
enter  and  exeunt  without  touching  or  being  touched  by 
any  one. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  of  the  domestic  habits  of  the 
French  'bus  is,  that  it  is  left  to  everybody's  honour  to  pay  his 
fare.  As  people  keep  thronging  in,  they  sit  down,  and,  al- 
most on  purpose,  look  as  if  they  were  thinking  of  anything 
but  money ;  the  conducteur  also  looks  anywhere  but  towards 
them ;  however,  in  due  time,  they  are  observed  to  fumble  in 
their  pockets  or  in  their  reticules,  and  at  last  out  comes  the 
six  sous,  which,  handed  from  one  to  another — ^from  a  priest  to 
a  peasant,  and  from  an  ofl&cer  to  a  Sister  of  Charity — at  last 
reaches  him  whose  duty  it  is  to  pay  to  his  employers  the 
number  of  fares  denoted  by  the  finger  of  the  tell-tale  clock, 
which,  as  I  have  before  stated,  is  required  to  toll  "  one"  on 
the  entrance  of  e^ery  passenger  whose  age  exceeds  four  years. 
Statesmen,  warriors,  and  divines  who  have  not  attained  that 
period  of  life  enjoy  the  privilege  of  travelling  free. 


% 


326 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


There  are  in  Paris  thirty-five  establishments,  "  message- 
ries,"  for  the  transport  by  "  roulage"  of  heavy  goods.  The 
largest  in  the  Bue  de  Chabronne,  I  had  intended  to  visit ;  but 
as,  after  leaving  my  'bus,  I  was  walking  through  the  Rue  de 
Quatre  Fils,  happening  to  see  on  my  left,  through  a  great 
porte-cochere,  one  of  these  establishments,  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  I  reeled  into  it. 

Under  a  large  shed,  covered  with  packages  of  all  sorts,  I 
found  only  one  crane  in  a  space  in  which,  in  London,  there 
would  have  been  seen  half  a  dozen,  lifting  and  dry-nursing  all 
descriptions  of  goods.  The  consequence  was,  that  a  vast 
amount  of  unnecessary  labour,  set  to  music  by  a  deal  of  un- 
necessary taPiing,  was  being  expended  in  hauling  at,  and  ar- 
guing with,  heavy  packages,  hanging  in  the  air,  that  might 
have  been  made  to  fly  in  silence  to  the  carts  that  were  wait- 
ing to  receive  them. 

There  was,  however,  one  feat  which  in  Paris  I  constantly 
admired,  and  which  might  be  introduced  into  England  with 
great  advantage — namely,  the  mode  of  packing  an  enormous 
amount  of  weight  and  bulk  on  a  vehicle  of  two  high  wheels, 
which  not  only  pass  easier,  but  only  once,  over  every  obstacle 
in  the  road  which  the  low  wheels  of  waggons  have  twice  to 
encounter  and  surmount. 

Behind  and  beneath  the  warehouse,  in  rear  of  the  plat- 
form, I  found  a  number  of  stables,  very  fairly  ventilated,  for 
the  horses  of  the  establishment. 

As  I  was  returning  home  through  the  Rue  de  G-renelle 
St.  Germain,  I  observed,  a  few  feet  from  the  outside  of  the 
second  story  of  the  line  of  houses  on  the  south  side,  fourteen 
wires  of  the  electric  telegraph,  along  which  intelligence  of 
every  possible  description  was  flying  at  the  rate  of  280,000 
mile's  per  second.  '•  What  a  contrast,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  to 
the  one-horse  carts  I  have  just  been  admiring !" 


■'"•V-  ""  :ft'*' -.^.i} 


t      / 


RO&PIQE  D£S  FEMMES  INVUIiABLES. 


327 


m 


-*'• 


HOSPICE  DBS  FEMMES  INCURABLES. 


On  arriving  at  No.  42,  Rue  de  Sevres,  I  saw  on  my  left  the 
vast  establishment  I  had  come  to  visit,  namely,  the  hospital 
for  poor,  old,  indigent,  incurable  women. 

As  it  is  open  to  the  public  every  day  from  one  to  four, 
and  as  the  great  portal  of  entrance  happened  to  be  unclosed, 
instead  of  addressing  myself  to  the  concierge,  or  even  looking 
towards  his  windows,  I  walked  quickly  by  them  into  a  large, 
square,  open  court,  in  which  I  found  myself  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  the  buildings  of  the  charity. 

Immediately  before  me  stood  a  church,  erected  expressly 
and  exclusively  for  the  pauper  inmates  of  the  institution.  On 
entering  it  I  was  surprised  to  find  it  exceedingly  handsome 
and  highly  ornamented.  Before  a  small  side  altar,  on  her 
knees,  motionless  as  a  statue,  was  a  Soeur  de  la  Charit6, 
whose  attitude  and  devotion  I  could  not  but  respect. 

At  the  great  altar  appeared  a  workman,  dressed  in  a 
blouse,  with  a  ladder,  and  a  Soeur  de  la  Charite  assisting  him 
to  hang  up  some  roses,  gilt  festoons,  &c.  Sometimes  the 
soeur  mounted  to  the  very  tip-top  of  the  ladder,  which  was 
nearly  fourteen  feet  high,  to  fix  some  rectangular  pieces  of 
crimson  velvet,  about  four  feet  long  by  eighteen  inches  broad, 
trimmed  with  gold  lace  and  gold  bullion,  and  containing  in 
the  middle  a  device  beautifully  embroidered.  Then  the 
workman  ascended  with  his  arms  full  of  wreaths  of  artificial 
roses  with  large  gold  leaves ;  then  they  hung  up  some  bunches 
of  grapes  in  gold,  and  then  some  in  silver. 

At  this  single  altar,  in  four  handsome  lustres  and  in  two 
gilt  candelabras,  I  counted  eighty-two  wax  candles,  besides 
eight  more,  each  about  eight  feet  high.  There  were  also  can- 
dles at  the  two  small  altars,  especially  at  that  at  which  the 
soeur  was  kneeling.  The  windows  in  rear  were  covered  with 
figures  in  stained  glass.  In  front  of  the  great  altar,  which 
the  workman  and  the  Soeur  de  la  Charity  were  adorning, 
were  endless  rows  of  rush-bottomed  chairs,  on  several  of  which 


328 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FHFACII  UTICKS. 


\ 


reposed  cushions,  so  roughly  made  out  ot  such  coarse  mate- 
rials, of  so  many  conflicting  colours,  that  it  was  evident  they 
had  been  created  only  to  be  soft.  A  couple  of  these  homely 
seats  were  occupied  by  two  poor  incurables,  who,  with  the 
Boeurs,  the  workman,  and  myself,  were  the  only  persons  present 
in  the  church. 

On  coming  out  into  the  court  of  entrance,  I  saw  above  my 
head  the  largest  dial  I  have  ever  beheld.  The  minute-hand 
was  dreadfully  infirm,  and,  like  an  old,  poor,  incurable  wo- 
man, who  was  traversing  beneath,  it  kept  tottering  as  it  went. 
I  asked  a  man  belonging  to  the  establishment,  who  stood 
evidently  longing  to  talk  to  me,  why  they  were  decorating 
the  great  altar  of  the  church  ? 

"  Ah !"  he  replied,  with  a  shrug,  "  c'est  pour  une  petite 
cer^monie  !"*  After  a  short  pause  up  came  and  out  came 
what,  ever  since  I  entered,  had  been  lying  uppermost  in  my 
mind,  namely — 

"  Whether  Monsieur  would  approve  of  his  taking  him  over 
the  establishment?" 

I  told  him  he  was  exactly  the  person  I  wanted,  and  pleas- 
ed with  the  compliment,  and  still  more  so  with  the  fact,  with- 
out further  ratification  of  our  treaty  he  led  me  off  with  that 
sort  of  indescribable  triumph  with  which  an  expert  angler 
plays  with  a  salmon  he  has  hooked,  to  the  refectory  of  Notre  , 
Dame,  a  large,  long,  brick-floored  hall,  full  of  windows.  The 
floor  was  paved  with  octagonal  red  glazed  bricks,  and  along 
its  whole  length  were  two  narrow  green  dining-tables,  studded 
on  each  side  with  rush-bottomed  chairs.  The  number  of  in- 
curables that  can  dine  in  this  room  is  206. 

In  his  eagerness  to  take  me  into  the  eating-room — which 
I  observed  in  the  various  charities  of  Paris  is  usually  looked 
upon  by  the  servants  as  the  point  of  primary  importance  — 
my  conductor  neglected  to  conduct  me  through  the  mazes  of 
the  establishment  he  had  proposed  to  show  me  according  to 
any  fixed  plan.  I  am,  therefore,  only  able  to  describe  what 
I  saw  in  the  order  in  which  he  was  pleased  to  show  it  to 
me. 

The  first  infirmary  we  entered  was  more  than  200  feet 
long ;  it  contained  two  rows  of  nice  clean-looking  beds  with  \ 
white  curtains,  and  at  different  distances  in  the  fore-ground, 


i.':.«^t* 


*  Ah !  it  la  for  a  little  ceremony ! 


\\ 


HOSPICE  DES  FEMMES  INCURABLES. 


329 


in  the  middle,  and  in  the  ba  k-ground  of  the  picture,  I  ob- 
served, circulating  among  the  beds,  several  sisters  of  charity, 
strong,  good-looking  women,  with  great  benevolence  of  man- 
ner, and,  generally  speaking,  with  very  pleasing  counte- 
nances. 

As,  following  my  conductor,  I  was  walking  slowly  through 
this  long  ward,  from  the  third  bed  I  heard  a  little  cough,  and, 
looking  towards  it,  I  saw,  considerably  raised  on  three  pillows 
(all  the  beds  have  this  number),  a  fine-looking  old  woman, 
with  an  arched  nose,  bright  eyes,  and  with  a  brilliant-coloured 
handkerchief  wound  round  her  head.  Then  I  passed  an  old 
woman  taking  from  the  Soeur  de  la  Charite  a  glass  full  of 
what  every  feature  in  her  face  declared  to  be  exceedingly 
nasty  physic.  In  the  next  bed  another  was  reading  a  prayer- 
book.  Then  I  passed  one  sitting  almost  upright,  with  a  buff 
handkerchief  fantastically  twisted  round  her  head,  and  with 
a  pair  of  spectacles  pinching  her  nose — as  school-boys  say  — 
"  for  fun,"  for  she  was  doing  nothing.  Then  one  seated  on  a 
chair  at  her  bedside,  with  her  right  foot  resting  on  a  cushion. 

In  the  middle  of  this  long  room  I  found  against  the  wall 
a  nice,  plain,  white  statue  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  a  few  flow- 
ers, a  little  "sacristie,"  two  small,  white  plaster  angels,  and  a 
couple  of  candles.  Beyond  them  a  poor  woman  lay  in  her 
bed  fast  asleep ;  in  a  chair  by  her  bedside,  there  sat  another 
knitting. 

We  next  entered  a  long  room  paved  with  octagonal  bricks, 
with  windows  not  only  at  both  sides  but  also  at  both  ends. 
It  was  as  light  as  the  open  air,  and  although  it  contained 
twenty  beds,  half  of  which  were  occupied,  and  although  it  was 
an  exceedingly  cold  day,  I  observed  with  much  astonishment 
that  ten  of  the  windows  were  wide  open  from  top  to  bottom. 
On  inquiring  I  was  informed  that  it  was  because  they  had 
just  been  cleaning  the  room.  As  I  was  proceeding  through 
it  I  saw,  lying  on  a  small  table  on  my  right,  a  large  quarto 
book,  bound  in  purple  leather,  with  a  cross  in  gold  stamped 
on  the  top  of  it.  Hoping — and,  indeed,  believing  that  it  was 
the  Bible,  I  tried  to  turn  over  the  leaves,  instead  of  which  I 
opened  the  lid  of  .a  writing-desk.  In  one  of  the  beds  I  ob- 
served a  poor  old  woman,  very  ill,  indeed,  intently  reading  a 
letter. 

In  a  room  for  convalescents,  containing  eight  beds,  I  found 


830 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENGH  STIOKS. 


all  sitting  up  except  one,  bitterly  sobbing  about  something. 
In  the  adjoining  room,  containing  four  beds,  were  two  old 
women.  In  the  upper  story  of  this  compartment  of  the  build- 
ing were  nine  beds,  exceedingly  clean,  airy,  and  all  empty. 
Their  owners,  seated  at  a  table  at  work,  were  thin,  but  healthy. 
In  another  room  I  found,  sewing,  nine  old  women,  in  very 
clean  white  caps,  around  which  several  had  twisted  bright 
scarlet  handkerchiefs,  exactly  in  the  fashion  which  had  flour- 
ished at  Paris  in  1815. 

In  a  long,  rectangular  room,  containing  windows  on  all 
four  sides,  and  twenty-six  beds,  were  a  variety  of  aged  women, 
who,  fixing  their  bright,  hazel  eyes  upon  me,  often  bowed 
feebly  to  me  as  I  passed ;  and  in  a  garret  above  I  counted 
eighteen  beds  as  clean  as  the  rest. 

As  I  looked  up  at  the  clear  blue  sky  through  the  window 
at  the  summit  of  the  building,  I  was  not  a  little  pleased  to 
think  I  had  got  to  the  end  of  my  job ;  indeed,  I  fancied  I 
must  have  seen  nearly  all  the  incurable  old  women  of  this 
world.  My  attendant,  however,  led  me  down  stairs,  and  then 
..along  a^ passage,  until,  opening  a  door,  I  found  myself  in  a  new 
creation,  called  "  La  Salle  des  Grands  Bideaux,"  composed 
of  four  long  rooms,  or  galleries,  radiating  at  right  angles  from 
one  central  point,  at  which,  as  soon  as  I  reached  it,  I  found  a 
nice-looking  altar,  with  pots  of  real  flowers  before  it.  For 
some  minutes  I  stood  at  this  point,  admiring  the  perspective 
of  the  four  great  roads,  fall  of  clean  beds,  which  diverged  from 
me  towards  the  east,  west,  north  and  south.  The  picture  was, 
indeed,  most  interesting ;  but  as  I  found  it  quite  impossible 
to  count  or  even  to  guess  at  the  number  of  beds  in  any  one  of 
the  four  galleries,  I  inquired  of  my  attendant  how  many  there 
were? 

"  Ma  soeur  Anne  !"  he  said  gently  to  a  Sister  of  Charity 
who  happened  to  be  passing  at  the  moment,  "  ce  monsieur 
V-'Udrait  bien  compter  combien  Uy  a  de  lits  en  tout?"* 

The  good  sister,  addressing  me  with  great  kindness,  said 
she  would  most  readily  give  me  whatever  information  I  desir- 
ed. 

Pointing  to  the  names  of  each  of  the  rooms  which  I  h^d 

"    *  Sister  Amie!  the  gentleman  wishes  to  know  how  many  beds  there 
are  in  alL 


nOSPICE  DES  FEMME^  INCUliABLES. 


331 


not  before  observed  were  written  on  the  walls  of  each,  exactly 
in  the  position  and  in  the  manner  in  whioh  the  streets  of  Paris 
are  designated,  she  informed  me  that  the  number  of  beds  in 
each  of  the  four  halls  was  as  follows : — 


In  Ste.  Julie, 
Ste.  Ludevine, 
Ste.  Th^rdse, 
H^  4  Ste.  Catherine, 

■I  .,,-■,,....  .- 


Total, 


26  beds. 
22    « 
22    « 
22    « 

92 


B 


A  Altar. 
B  Stove. 


I  may  here  observe  that  every  chamber  and  dining  room 
in  the  establishment  is  called  after  some  saint,  whose  name  is 
inscribed  over  the  entrance-door. 

In  each  of  these  four  halls  a  number  of  old  women  were 
strolling  about ;  several  hobbling  together  arm  in  arm.  On 
one  of  the  beds  I  observed  as  I  passed  it  a  counterpane  of 
beautiful  patchwork.  At  the  head  of  many  was  affixed,  about 
a  yard  over  the  pillow,  a  statue  of  our  Saviour  on  the  cross. 
In  others,  at  about  the  same  place,  were  little  altars,  fitted  up 
with  great  taste. 

On  proceeding  to  the  first  floor  of  another  compartment  of 
the  building,  I  was  conducted  into  the  "  grand  infirmary,"  com- 
posed of  four  long  halls,  at  right  angles,  exactly  like  those 
just  described,  excepting  that  they  were  occupied  by  the  most 
infirm  of  the  old  women. 

'''  Ma  soeur  Therese !"  excliamed  my  attendant,  of  his  own 
accord,  "combie'li  y  a-t-il  de  lits  dans  les  quatre  apparte- 
ments  V'^    The  sister  carefully  counted  all  her  fingers — put 

*  Sister  Therese!  how  many  beds  are  there  in  these  four  apartments  I 


332 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


one  of  them  to  her  lips — then,  turning  her  head  a  little  aside, 
reflected — then  looked  up  one  ward — then  up  another — then 
reflected  again — at  last  she  kindly  told  me  there  were  in  all 
131. 

In  this  ward  I  saw  a  great  number  of  the  "  Soeurs  de  la 
Charity,"  benevolently  employed  in  nursing,  waiting-upon,  and 
watching  over  poor  fellow-creatures,  to  whose  expiring  wants 
they  were  so  devotedly  attentive,  that  I  passed  almost  all 
without  their  being  even  aware  of  the  presence  of  a  stranger 
in   the  room.     On  several  pillows  I  beheld  faces  sometimes 

})ale  as  death,  sometimes  fearfully  flushed  as  if  the  spark  of 
ife  was  making  one  last  convulsive  effort  to  shine  before  it  be- 
came extinct  for  ever !  In  one  bed  I  heard  a  poor  creature 
breathing  very  hard ;  immediately  over  her  head  was  the  face 
of  a  soeur  of  whom  I  could  see  nothing  but  her  black  bent 
back. 

I  had  now  as  I  thought  finished  my  mournful  job,  and  I 
would  willingly  have  ruminated  for  a  few  moments  on  what  I 
had  beheld,  but 'my  relentless  conductor  led  me  to  the  ground 
floor,  into  another  set  of  four  long  halls,  of  the  same  shape  and 
dimensions.  Instead,  however,  of  forming  open  roads,  each 
hall,  leaving  a  narrow  passage  in  common,  was  parcelled  off 
into  little  compartments,  giving  to  each  of  ninety-two  old  wo- 
men a  tiny  room,  in  which  she  could  end  her  days  with  the  in- 
estimable enjoyment  of  a  dulce  domum.  Accordingly,  peeping 
out  of  one  of  the  roomy,  I  beheld  with  great  satisfaction,  glar- 
ing at  me,  the  yellow,  oblong  eyes  of  a  tabby  cat,  the  only  one 
I  had  seen  in  the  establishment. 

"  We  have  now  finished  ?"  said  I  to  my  conductor. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  with  great  unkindness ;  "  there  exists  in 
the  story  above  us  another  set  of  four  halls,  divided  into  rooms 
similar  to  those  before  us." 

"  Bless  me ! !"  said  I  to  myself,  "  all  the  incurable  old 
women  in  creation  must  surely  be  here  !"  However,  I  did  not 
like  to  give  up,  so,  resolutely  sighing  out  the  word  "  Aliens  !" 
I  followed  him  up  stairs,  where  I  found  exactly  what  he  had 
described,  and  nothing  more. 

In  descending  into  the  great  court, — the  excessive  fresh- 
ness and  freedom  of  which  I  perceived  I  had  before  completely 
neglected  to  appreciate, — after  passing  the  church,  we  ehtered 
a  lofty  sacristy,  lighted  by  seven  windows,  full  of  altar  orna- 


HOSPICE  DES  FEMMES  INCVRABLES. 


333 


ir  orna* 


monts  packed  in  milliners'  long  pasteboard  boxes.  From  them 
we  went  into  the  kitchen,  as  usual  composed  of  one  hot  plate, 
containing  six  boilers,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  shining, 
healthy -faced  copper  saucepans.  From  them  we  proceeded  to 
some  shady  walks  in  two  gr.rdens,  to  which  it  was  evident  very 
little  attention  had  been  paid,  but  the  inmates  were  no  doubt 
too  old  to  enjoy  them. 

My  conductor,  who,  like  an  evil  companion,  kept  on  lead- 
ing me  I  knew  not  where,  now  brought  me  to  a  door  on  which 
was  inscribed  "  Lingerie  G6n6rale,"*  composed  of  six  long 
chambers  running  into  each  other,  full  of  shelves  up  to  the  ceil- 
ing, filled  with  strata  of  coarse  linen,  which  looked  and  smelt 
beautifully  clean  and  fresh.  The  waxed  floor  was  not  only  as 
slippery  as  ice,  but  as  clean  as  the  sheets,  pillow-cases,  and 
towels  ranged  above  it ;  indeed,  I  quite  fell  in  love  with  the 
nice  toothless  old  soeur  who  had  charge  of  the  establishment, 
and  whom  I  perceived  gliding  or  rather  skating  along  the 
floor,  on  two  pieces  of  quilted  green  baize,  cut  rather  bigger' 
than  her  shoes.  On  her  kindly  proposing  to  show  me  the 
contents  of  her  shelves,  seeing  there  was  on  the  floor  a  spare 
pair  of  these  baizes,  I  stepped  upon  them. 

"  Oh  !  ne  vous  donnez  pas  la  peine,  Monsieur  !"t  I  an- 
swered I  would  not  dirty  her  floor  for  the  whole  world.  So 
we  glided  and  slided  together,  thinking  of  and  talking  about 
nothing  but  linen,  until  we  came  to  the  sixth  room,  at  the  end 
of  which  I  saw,  sitting  remarkably  still  on  a  very  low  chair,  a 
little  Sister  of  Charity  that  appeared  to  be  scarcely  three  feet 
high.  On  walking  up  to  her,  I  found  her  to  be  a  doll.  Her 
•cap  and  white  stomacher,  most  beautifully  worked,  formed  a 
striking  contrast  with  her  course  black  gown,  and  with  three 
black  crosses  suspended  from  her  neck.  In  her  right  hand 
was  a  prayer-book,  and  on  her  lap  a  little  empty  green  boat. 
Pointing  to  it — for  I  did  not  know  how  to  call  it — I  asked  the 
good  soeur  what  it  was  for.  To  my  great  satisfaction  she  an- 
swered, 'i  Pour  les  pauvres  !":|: 

She  then  led  me  into  a  small  room  called  "  le  Pliage,"  in 
which  I  found,  busily  occupied  in  arranging  and  folding  clean 
linen,  three  work-women  in  ordinary  clothes  and  frilled  caps, 

*  Linen  Department. 

I  Oh !   do  not  give  youi'self  the  trouble,  Sir. 

I  For  the  poor  I 


334 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FliENCn  STICKS, 


and  two  Sisters  of  Charity,  one  of  whom,  a  tall,  slight,  elegant 
looking,  very  young  person,  appeared  to  me  to  be  transcend- 
ently  beautiful.  My  eyes,  however,  through  life  have  so  re- 
peatedly deceived  me ;  I  have  so  often  on  quitting  the  desert 
regions  fancied  every  gnarled  tree  and  patch  of  stunted  paS' 
ture  I  beheld  to  be  "  transcendently  beautiful ;"  that,  having 
for  nearly  two  hours  gazed  very  attentively  upon  nothing  but 
incurable  old  women  of  every  possible  description,  I  think  it 
more  than  possible  my  erring  vision,  on  suddenly  beholding  a 
young  woman,  altogether  over-estimated  the  intrinsic  value  of 
her  appearance ;  and  accordingly  that  her  "  transcendent 
beauty"  might  correctly  be  denominated  mere  fancy. 

"  Tutto  il  bello  che  voi  Avete  '■•■■' 

£  un' id6a  che  in  noi  si  fal" 


My  conductor,  v;'th  a  significant  bow  which  seemed  in  some 
way  or  other  to  be  indescribably  connected,  although  very  dis- 
tantly, with  my  pocket  and  his  own,  now  informed  me  "  I  had 
seen  all."  There  immediately  flashes  across  my  memory  the 
following  lines : — 

"  As  I  was  going  to  St  Ives, 
I  met  seven  wives ;  .'     '. 

Each  wife  had  seven  sacks;  "'  '"  '  '    *  "''^ 

Each  sack  liad  seven  cats ;  • ' 

Eacli  cat  had  seven  kits. 
Kits,  cats,  sacks,  and  wives- 
How  many  were  there  going  to  St.  Ives?" 

'  '4;'      * 

"  How  many  incurable  old  women  have  I  seen  ?"  said  I  to 
him. 

"  He  could  not,"  he  replied,  "  tell  me  exactly,  but  I  could 
easily  inform  myself  at  the  bureau ;"  so,  after  settling  accounts 
with  my  friend,  whose  hand  had  scarcely  left  mine  when  he 
vanished  I  hardly  know  where,  I  walked  into  the  ofl&ce,  where  I 
was  very  obligingly  informed  that  the  number  of  aged"  inmates 
in  the  various  buildings  I  had  visited  was  595 ;  that  on  an 
average  about  60  die  off  per  annum ;  that  there  are,  as  as- 
sistants in  the  establishment,  36  Soeurs  de  la  Charite  and  18 
"  gardens."  Of  the  former  I  feel  it  impossible  to  speak  too 
highly.  During  my  short  residence  in  Paris,  into  whatever 
abode  of  poverty  and  misery  I  entered,  whether  for  helpless 


nOSPWE  DES  FEMMES  INCURABLES. 


335 


infancy,  for  those  suffering  under  siekness,  or  from  imbecilo 
old  age,  there  I  found  them  intently  occupied  in  doing  good  to 
their  fellow-creatures.  To  say  that  all  cannot  bo  perfect  is  but 
to  repeat  the  threadbare  axiom  of  human  nature.  I  deem  it, 
however,  only  iust  to  these  good  people  to  say  that,  in  reply  to 
several  inquiries  I  made  respecting  them,  of  persons  who  I 
well  know  would  willingly  have  scoffed  at  the  high  principles 
which  guided  the  earthly  career  of  these  Sisters  of  Charity,  I 
was  invariably  informed  that  the  breath  of  slander,  even  in 
Paris,  has  not  ventured  to  impeach  the  purity  of  their  conduct. 
If  this  be  true  they  are  indeed  objects  of  admiration  and 
respect. 

As  my  watch  told  me  I  should  just  have  time  enough  to 
visit  the  Artesian  well  nearly  a  mile  off,  I  was  walking  towards 
it  about  as  fast  as  I  could,  when  I  suddenly  stopped  for  a  few 
seconds  at  the  corner  of  la  Rue  Mayet,  spell-bound  by  a  picture, 
superscribed  by  the  name  of  "  M™"-  Perez,"  and  subscribed  by 
the  appellation,  "  Sage  Femmo."* 

On  attentively  studying  this  painting,  it  ap^^cared  to  be  as 
follows : — On  rather  a  handsome  chair  was  seated  a  lady 
dressed  in  a  cap,  with  flowers  for  each  cheek,  and  in  a  blue 
gown,  the  body  of  which  half  thrown  aside  disclosed  the  lady's 
bare  neck  and  arms,  from  one  of  which,  in  a  most  beautiful 
arch,  there  was,  into  a  quart  basin  beneath,  flowing  a  stream  of 
blood,  from  which  a  maid  on  her  knees,  in  order  to  hold  the 
basin,  was  averting  her  eyes  and  face.  During  the  whole  of 
this  operation  the  arm  of  the  lady  in  the  cap  and  flowers  and 
blue  gown  was  firmly  grasped  by  "  M*"*-  Perez,"  the  "  Sage 
Femme,"  a  tall  and  exceedingly  fashionable-looking  young 
lady,  dressed  in  a  black  gown,  without  any  cap,  and  with  long 
curls.  The  "  wisdom"  of  the  woman,  the  resignation  of  the 
lady,  and  the  modesty  of  the  maid,  mixed  all  up  together, 
formed  as  interesting  a  subject  as  poet  could  imagine,  or  as 
artist  could  desire  to  execute. 

*  Midwife. 


TtA>^-f 


336 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


THE  ARTESIAN  WELL. 

In  driving  through  the  gay,  beautiful  streets,  squares  and 
boulevards  of  Paris,  a  stranger  has  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  capital  he  is  admiring  is  singularly  endowed  from  the 
laboratory  of  Nature  not  only  with  the  purest  description  of 
air,  but  a  superabundant  supply  of  water,  which  from  upwards  of 
a  hundred  different  fountains  is  to  be  seen,  like  fireworks  of 
various  names,  furiously  rushing,  rising,  streaming  upwards, 
breaking,  and  then,  in  myriads  of  small  particles,  slowly  de- 
scending in  prismatic  radiance  to  the  earth  from  whence  they 
sprang.  Nevertheless,  notwithstanding  this  magnificent  out- 
ward demonstration,  Paris  is  very  poorly  supplied  with  water ; 
indeed,  while  the  fountains  of  the  city  are  gambolling,  dancing, 
and  revelling  in  the  way  I  have  described,  lean  horses  and 
jaded  donkeys,  with  drooping  heads,  are  drawing  carts  full  of 
this  simple  necessary  of  life,  amounting  in  cost  to  four  million 
francs  per  annum.  A  considerable  number  of  houses,  from 
top  to  bottom,  are  supplied  with  water  from  large  barrels  on 
wheels,  which  no  sooner  arrive  at  their  doors  than  the  donkey- 
driver  going  to  the  rear,  is  seen  to  pull  out  a  plug,  from  which 
there  instantly  flows  into  a  bright  tin  pail,  which  but  a  moment 
before  he  had  placed  at  a  considerable  distance  off,  a  stream  of 
water  that  looks  exactly  like  a  very  long  semi-parabola  of 
glass.  As  soon  as  one  pail  is  full,  with  scarcely  the  loss  of  a 
drop  it  is  replaced  by  another,  and  when  that  is  filled  and  the 
plug  stopped,  both,  suspended,  fore  and  aft,  across  one  shoulder 
on  a  short  stick,  are  carried  across  the  foot  pavement,  and  up 
stairs  to  their  destinr.tion,  often  the  highest  story  of  the  house. 
With  this  uncomfortable  fact  sticking  fest  in  the  gizzard  of  my 
mind,  I  own  I  never  passed  a  fountain  in  Paris  without  com- 
paring it  to  the  immense  ring  which  in  certain  countries  so 
often  glitters  on  a  very  dirty  forefinger,  or  to  the  flashy  waist- 
coat and  gaudy  stock  which  are  in  every  region  occasionally  to 
be  seen  blooming  together  over  a  rumpled  shirt. 

"Verily,  ^ 

I  swear  'tis  better  to  be  lowly  bom, 
And  mnge  with  humble  livei-s  in  content,  - 

Than  to  be  perk'd  up  in  a  glistering  grief, 
And  wear  a  golJen  sori'ow. 


THE  ABTEHIAN  WELL. 


337 


As  the  rocky  strata  on  which  Paris  stands  are  to  a  great 
depth  barren  of  springs,  immense  sums  have  at  different  periods 
been  expended  in  bringing  water  to  the  city. 

In  1613  Louis  XIII.  laid  the  first  stonaof  a  magnificent 
aqueduct,  18,200  yards  long,  from  Aroueil  to  the  Chateau  d'Eau, 
near  the  Observatoire,  and  which  crosses  the  valley  of  Arcueil 
upon  25  arches,  72  feet  high ;  this  aqueduct  was  repaired  in  1 777, 
since  which  period  the  municipal  aTuthorities  of  Paris,  at  a  con- 
siderable cost,  have  enabled  it  to  supply  the  city  with  36,000 
hogsheads  per  day. 

From  the  Canal  de  TOurcq,  24  leagues  in  length,  and  which 
cost  25,000,000  francs,  about  260,820  cubic  metres  of  water 
per  day  are  consumed  for  the  purposes  of  the  navigation,  for 
the  lockage  of  the  two  canals  St.  Denis  and  St.  Martin,  and  for 
the  supply  of  the  public  fountains,  markets,  and  houses  of  the 
capital.  In  1809  an  immense  reservoir,  740  yards  long  by  77 
'  broad,  called  the  "  Bassin  de  laVillette,"  was  constructed  outside 
the  Barriere  de  Pantin  to  receive  the  water  from  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  Canal  de  I'Ourcq.  From  this  reservoir  there 
is  an  aqueduct  10,300  yards  in  length,  called  l'Aq[ueduc  de 
Ceinture,  which,  boundiog  Paris  on  the  north,  supplies  by  five 
branches — 1.  The  Chateau  d'Eau,  Boulevart  St.  Martin,  la 
Place  des  Vosges,  le  March6  des  Innocents;  2.  The  Faux- 
bourgs  Montmartre  and  Poissonniere,  with  the  Palais  National ; 
3.  The  Chauss^e  d'Antin,  the  Quartier  des  Capucines,  and  the 
March^  St.  Honors ;  4.  The  Champs  Elysees,  the  TuileAes, 
the  Invalides,  and  the  Ecole  Militaire ;  5.  The  splendid  foun- 
tains in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde. 

From  the  suburb  of  Belleville,  buiH  on  a  hill  abounding 
in  springs,  there  is  conducted  into  two  large  reservoirs  (one 
of  which,  situated  at  the  Barriere  de  Menilmontant,  receives . 
432  hogsheads  per  day)  a  considerable  supply  of  water.  From 
the  heights  of  Romainville,  Bruyeres,  and  also  from  Menil- 
montant, flow  per  day  into  a  reservoir  about  648  hogsheads 
of  water.  From  the  Seine  pipes  are  also  laid  across  the  plain 
of  St.  Denis  for  the  supply  of  BatignoUes  and  Montmartre. 
At  the  corner  of  the  Rue  St.  Paul,  in  a  building  a  portion  of 
which  was  formerly  a  royal  residence,  is  an  establishment  be- 
longing to  a  company  for  distributing  the  water  of  the 
Seine,  raised  by  a  steam-engine,  and  filtered  through  char- 
coal.    There  are  in  Paris,  at  Montniartre,  Belleville,  and 

15  . 


338 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Passy,  eight  great  reservoirs ;  besides  which  the  cit^i  has 
lately  voted  a  million  of  francs  for  the  construction  of  a  very 
large  one  near  Buc,  capable  of  containing  1,000,000  cubic 
metres  of  water. 

Of  the  water  which  flows  into  the  large  reservoirs  enume- 
rated, a  considerable  portion  has,  under  Providence,  been 
summoned  by  science  to  arise  from  a  dark  subterranean  depth, 
exceeding,  by  100  feet,  five  times  the  height  of  the  cross  on 
the  summit  of  St.  Paul's  church  in  London  I 

Although  I  was  aware  that  there  exists  in  the  locality  in 
which  this  feat  has  been  performed  but  little  to  behold,  I  felt 
on  arriving  at  the  gate  of  Grenelle,  that  sort  of  satisfaction 
which  every  pilgrim  enjoys  in  reaching  the  shrine  he  has  long 
desired  to  worship.  On  ringing  the  bell,  the  gate  was  quickly 
opened  by  a  very  young  lady  in  curls ;  and  on  my  stating  I 
had  come — I  was  so  tired  that  I  must  have  looked  as  if  I 
had  walked  from  Jerusalem — to  see  the  Artesian  well,  she 
replied,  with  evident  satisfaction,  that  she  would  be  happy  to 
show  it  to  me,  and  accordingly,  without  putting  on  her  bonnet, 
or  granting  me  the  smallest  opening  to  remonstrate,  she  con- 
ducted me,  tripping  by  my  side,  to  the  foot  of  a  weather- 
beaten  scaffolding,  112  feet  high,  containing  a  rude  ladder- 
Staircase,  and  encircling  three  iron  pipes.  My  first  object 
was  to  get  myself  quietly  divorced ;  and  as  soon  as  this  im- 
pqjr tant  measurse — ^which,  after  all,  only  cost  me  a  few  ci'7il 
words,  two  or  three  bows,  and  tenpence — was  consummated, 
I  enjoyed  for  some  moments  reflections  which,  like  the  water 
passing  up  the  central  tube  before  me,  arose  from  beneath 
the  jp'ound  on  which  1  stood. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  year  1834,  M.  Mulct,  after  having 
entered  into  the  contract  which  eventually  immortalised  his 
name,  commenced  the  work  that  had  been  entrusted  to  him, 
of  endeavoring  to  tap  the  subterranean  sujJply  of  water  which 
it  had  been  calculated  must  exist  about  1200  feet  beneath 
the  dry,  deep,  rocky  strata  upon,  which  the  gay  city  of  Paris 
has  been  constructed. 

During  the  operation  of  piercing  through  successive  beds 
of  flint  and  chalk,  the  borer  several  times  broke,  and  the 
fragment,  by  dropping  to  the  bottom  of  the  e"«:cavation,^ — 
deserting  as  it  were  to  the  enemy, — suddenly  became  the 
most  serious  opponent  of  the  power  in  whoee  service  it  had 


Tnn  ARTESIAN  WELL. 


33d 


1been  enlisted.  Indeed,  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  these  acci- 
dents, it  required,  at  a  depth  of  no  less  than  1335  feet,  four- 
teen months'  incessant  labour  to  recover  it ! 

After  working  for  rather  more  than  seven  years  without 
any  apparent  encouragement,  on  or  about  the  20th  February 
there  was  drawn  up  a  small  amount  of  greenish-coloured  sand, 
indicating  that  the  borer  was  approaching  water.      At  two  ' 
o'clock  on  the  26th  February,  1841,  there  arose  through  the 
tube  a  tiny  thread  of  the  element  which  had  been  the  object 
of  such  ardent  and  long-protracted  hopes  ;  and  the  welcome 
omen  of  success  had  scarcely  diffused  joy  and  gladness  among 
those  who  witnessed  it,  when,  as  if  the  trumpet  of  victory  had 
been  sounded,  there  arose  from  the  depth  of  1800  feet  a  col-    - 
umn  of  warm  water  of  83f  °  of  Fahrenheit,  which,  bursting 
through  the  machinery  that  had  called  it  into  existence, 
rushed  upwards  with  a  fury  it  appeared  almost  incapable  to  * 
control. 

The  height  U  v-Mch  through  an  iron  pipe  it  rises  above 
the  earth  is,  as  ^  Iv^en  stated,  112  feet;  and  thus  not  only 
is  Paris  gifted  „Lju  an  everlasting  supply  of  water  amount-  , 
ing,  at  the  surface,  to  660  gallons  per  minute,  and  at  the  sum- 
mit of  the  pipe  to  316,  but  the  latter  quantity,  in  virtue  of 
its  elevation,  and  in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  hydrostatics 
which  it  is  s^orn  to  obey,  can  be  made  to  ascend  to  the  vari- 
ous floors,  including  the  uppermost,  on  which,  one  above  an- 
other, the  inhabitants  of  Paris  reside. 

The  concealed  tube  or  passage,  through  which,  by  the 
magic  influence  of  science,  this  valuable  supply  of  water  is 
now  constantly  arising  from  the  deep,  dark  caverns  in  which 
it  had  been  eollected,  into  the  lightsome  painted  chambers  of 
the  most  beautiful  metropolis  on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  has 
been  lined  throughout  with  galvanised  iron.  Its  diameter  is, 
at  the  bottom,  about  7  inches,  and  at  the  tope  21  inches. 

The  water,  when  I  tasted  it,  was  not  only  warm,  but 
strongly  impregnated  with  iroin.  As  a  dog  grows  savage  in 
proportion  to  the  length  of  time  it  has  been  chained  to  a  bar- 
rel, so  does  the  temperature  of  imprisoned  water  increase  with 
its  subterranean  depth ;  and  accordingly  it  has  been  calcu- 
lated by  M.  Arago  and  by  M.  "Walferdin  that  the  heat  of  the 
water  of  an  Artesian  well  which,  previous  to  the  revolution 
of  1848,  it  had  been  proposed  to  bore  in  the  Jardin  des 


340 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Plantes  to  a  depth  of  3000  feet  (nearly  nine  times  the  height 
of  the  cross  on  the  top  of  St.  Paul's),  .would  amount  to  about 
100°  of  Fahrenheit,  sufficient  not  only  to  cheer  the  tropical 
birds  and  monkeys,  the  liothouses  and  greenhouses  of  the 
establishment,  but  to  give  warm  baths  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Paris. 

As  the  Artesian  well  of  Grenelle  is  within  the  precincts 
of  the  abattoir  or  slaughter-house  for  cattle  of  that  name,  I 
felt  desirous  to  look  over  it,  particularly  as  the  hour  (it  was 
past  six  o'clock)  was  one  at  which  it  is  rarely  visited  by 
strangers. 

Without  repeating  details  which,  I  am  aware,  are  not  very 
acceptable  to  most  people,  I  will  briefly  state  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  few  who  take  an  interest  in  the  subject,  that, 
although  the  establishment  is  not  as  showy  as  the  abattoirs 
of  Montmartre  and  of  Popincourt,  it  is  essentially  the  same. 

On  entering  the  several  bouveries,  in  which  there  was 
plenty  of  straw,  with  an  abundance  of  cool  fresh  air,  I  found 
the  bullocks  that  next  day  were  to  be  slaughtered  tranquilly, 
nay,  happily,  occupied  in  eating  up  plenty  of  good  hay.  The 
sheep,  most  of.  whom  were  also  lying  down  with  their  knees 
tucked  under  them,  appeared  perfectly  quiet  and  undisturbed  ; 
and  although  certainly  a  few  odd  strange  sounds  occasionally 
assailed  their  ears,  they  munched,  looked  at  me  only  one  mo- 
ment, and  then,  with  their  lower  jaws  moving  sideways — 
thoughtless  of  to-morrow  as  those  for  whom  they  were  to  be 
slaughtered — they  went  munching  on. 


-•-•-«- 


HOTT^L  DES  MONNAIES. 


In  ancient  times  the  Koyal  Mint  of  France  existed  somewhere 
in  the  Royal  Palace  of  the  "  He  de  la  Cit6 ;  it  was  next  domiciled 
in  a  part  of  the  metropolis  which  still  bears  the  name  of ''  Rue 
de  la  Monnaie ;"  and  was  finally  established  on  the  site  of  the 
H6tel  do  Conti  in  its  present  structure,  the  foundation  stono 
of  which  was  laid  on  the  30th  of  April,  1768,  by  the  Abb6 


HOTEL  DES  MONNAIES. 


341 


Terray,  comptroller-general  of  the  finances,  under-  whose  di- 
rection it  was  completed  in  1775. 

This  vast  building,  including  no  less  than  eight  courts,  is 
situated  on  the  Quai  Gonti,  between  the  Pont  Neuf  and  the 
Pont  des  Arts,  and  consequently  nearly  opposite  to  the  muse- 
um of  the  Louvre.  Its  principal  facade,  which  looks  upon  the 
Seine,  is  composed  of  three  stories,  360  feet  in  length  and  78 
feet  in  height,  containing  27  windows  in  each.  In  the  centre 
is  a  projecting  mass  of  five  arcades  on  the  ground  floor,  form- 
ing a  basement  for  six  columns  of  the  Ionic  order,  supporting 
an  entablature  and  an  altar,  ornamented  with  festoons  and  sis 
statues.  { 

The  front  facing  the  Eue  Gu^n^gaud  is  348  feet  in  length. 
Two  pavilions  rise  at  its  extremities,  and  a  third  in  the  centre, 
surmounted  by  a  square  cupola.  On  the  altar  are  to  be  seen 
four  statues,  representing  a  "  happy  family,"  namely,  fire,  air, 
earth,  and  watei. 

The  establishment  of  the  Hdtel  des  Monnaies  is  composed 
— 1st,  of  the  laboratory,  workshops,  and  machinery  of  the 
mint,  for  permission  to  see  which  it  is  only  necessary  for  a  for- 
eigner to  address  a  letter  by  post  to  the  "  President  de  la  Com- 
mission des  Monnaies  ;"  and  2ndly,  of  a  museum  of  coins,  &o., 
open  to  the  inhabitants  of  France,  and  to  strangers,  on  Tues- 
days and  Fridays,  from  twelve  to  three,  besides  which,  on  their 
merely  producing  their  passports,  the  museum  most  liberally 
again  opens  its  doors  to  foreigners  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays 
during  the  same  hours. 

On  arriving  at  the  Hdtel  at  a  few  minutes  before  noon,  with 
my  passport,  I  found  assembled  there  about  half  a  dozen  other 
persons,  each  of  whom  I  observed  had  dangling  in  his  hand  a 
printed  authority,  and  accordingly,  as  soon  as  twelve  strokes 
of  the  clock  announced  to  us  all  that  our  broth  jr  traveller  the 
sun  had  finished  one  half  of  his  daily  work  before  we  had  be- 
gun ours,  and,  indeed,  before  many  people  in  Paris  had  had 
their  breakfast,  the  door  of  the  museum  was  opened,  and  in  we 
all  walked. 

In  a  suite  of  rooms,  the  principal  one  of  which  is  called 
the  Musee  Mon^taire,  I  found  admirably  arranged  a  most  in- 
teresting series  of  copper,  silver,  and  gold  coins,  detailing 
chronologically  the  principal  events  of  the  world  in  general, 
and  of  France  in  particular.    There  were,  also,  most  valuable 


342 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


apeoimeikB  of  the  coins  of  different  countries  which  had  been 
current  in  various  ages,  but  at  which  the  stranger  now  gazes 
with  astonishment.  For  instance,  there  was  Mexican  money, 
composed  simply  of  square  lumps  of  gold,  their  value  being 
that  of  the  weight  stamped  upon  them ;  Turkish  money,  of 
almost  pure  gold;  specimens  of  rude  money  of  the  United 
States  of  America ;  of  some  money  roughly  stamped  by  Na- 
poleon during  the  siege  of  Gattaro,  &o.,  &o. 

These  moneys  and  historical  coins  were  beautifully  arrang- 
ed in  glass  cases,  lying  on  a  series  of  low  narrow  tables  in 
each  room ;  and  as  every  apartment  was  brimful  of  light,  the 
study,  to  any  one  competent  to  appreciate  it.  must  be  highly 
gratifying :  tor  instance,  in  brown  copper  history  I  observed  a 
series  of  the  most  remarkable  events,  chronologically  arranged 
in  cases  as  follows  :— 


1.  ^om  Charlemagne  to 

Francis  I. 

2.  Heigns  of  Henry  U. 

and  Charles  IX. 
8.  To  Heniy  III.    and 

Henry  IV. 
4.  To  Lonis  XIH. 
6.  Ditto. 

6.  Supplement  to  ditto. 
n.  To  Louis  XIV. 

8.  Suite  to  ditto. 

9,  10,  11,  12.  Ditto. 
18.  Tx)uisXV. 

14.  Ditto. 

15.  Louis  XVI. 

Id,  Louis  XVI.  and  Re- 
public. 


17.  Republic. 

18.  Louis  XVIIL 

19.  Charles  X. 

20.  Particular    Medals    of 

Louis    XVm.     and 
Charles  X. 

21.  Do.  of  Louis  Philippe  I. 

22.  Do.  (The  Largest  m  this 

lot  is  one  of   Louis 

Philippe  I.,  Eoi  des 

Francis.)         * 
28.  Particular     Medals    of 

Louis  Philippe. 
24.  Ditto. 
26.  Ditto,  down  to  case  84. 


In  glancing  over  these  historicsil  medals,  as  well  as  those 
in  the  succeeding  rooms,  there  were  some  which  for  a  few  mo- 
ments particularly  attracted  my  attention ;  for  instance,  in 
Table  No.  17,  which  concludes  the  history  of  the  French  Re- 
public, the  details  of  which,  even  when  represented  to  me  in 
cold  copper,  I  found  it  difficult  to  recall  to  mind  without  one 
or  two  involuntary  shudders,  I  observed  on  the  last  medal  of 
the  lot  iasoribed,  of  all  words  in  the  dictic     ^v  of  this  world,— 

"  Innooknob 
Rboonnub."* 


*  Innocence  acknowledge . 


HOTEL  DISS  MONNAIES. 


343 


ianoe,  in 


Again,  on  the  largest  medal  of  the  twelve  tables  full,  com- 
memorative  of  the  history  of  that  poor  exiled  monarch  who 
died  last  year  at  Glaremont,  there  had  been  inscribed  by  him 
those  fatal  words,  which  he  had  vainly  hoped  would  have  raised 
him  to  distinction, — 

<<Loois  Phiuffb  L,  Boi  Dxa  FsANfAis.''*  i , 

And  yet,  after  having  tried  seventeen  cabinets,  and  after  leav- 
ing escaped  from  .nine  deliberate  attempts  upon  his  life,  '-» 
only  five  francs  in  his  pocket  he  fled  from  the  Palace  of  the 
Tuderies;  muffled  up,  disguised  with  spectacles,  and,  under 
the  assumed  name  of  M.  Lebrun,  he  hurried  through  France ; 
and  with  an  English  passport,  and  under  the  appellation  of 
'<  Mr.  William  Smith,"  he,  queen,  children^  and  grandchildren, 
finally  fled  from  "  the  French  People"  to  seek  protection  from 
the  Sovereign  of  "  Great  Britain  and  Ireland." 

As,  gazing  at  his  features  embossed  on  the  large  round  me- 
dal, I  recalled  to  mind  his  miserable  career,  I  could  not  help 
saying  to  myself,  "  Oh,  Louis  Philippe,  whefi  every  male  in- 
habitant of  France  was  nobly  priding  himself  upon  being  a 
Frenchman,  how  could  you,  as  a  king,  surrender  your  royal 
title  to  a  country,  which,  after  you  had  disowned  it,  as  if  in  re- 
tributive scorn,  disowned  and  for  ever  discarded  you. 

In  another  room,  full  of  medals  commemorative  of  ''  the 
Emperor,"  who,  with  all  his  faults,  was  twice  over 

^Deserted  at  his  utmost  need 
By  those  hi^  former  boimty  fed," 

there  is  inscribed  on  the  concluding  one  of  the  series, — 

«AiAFn)BUT6."t 

On  one  medal  I  remarked,  beautifully  embossed,  a  portion 
of  the  terrestrial  globe,  above  which  hung  two  wreathes  of 
laurel  and  the  word  "  France."  To  the  westward  appeared  the 
sun  shining  upon  the  world,  with  the  sarcastic  inscription— 

,  "BONHKOIt  AuCoimMENT.":|: 


*  Louis  Philippe  I.,  King  of  the  French. 
X  HappineciB  for  the  Ooqtinent. 


t  To  FideUty. 


344 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


In  another  room,  <<  Galerie  m^tallique  \vo  grands  hommes 
Franqais"*  was  inoribed  oyer  a  table,  on  and  close  to  which 
were  two  large  series  of  beautiful  medals  illustrative  of  the 
campaigns  and  reign  of  Napoleon. 

Ah  adjoining  table  contained  medals  entitled  ''  Suite  des  ■ 
Campagnes  et  du  Regno  de  l'Empereur."t  Above  it  on  the 
left  stood,  most  admirably  executed,  a  colossal  figure  in  white 
marble  of  Napoleon,  a  strong  likeness,  but,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  purposely  flattered.  Beneath,  on  a  plain  bronze 
cushion,  lay  uncovered  the  celebrated  brass  cast  taken  from 
the  very  plaster  of  Paris  which  in  a  liquid  state  had  been 
poured  over  the  pale  features  of  Napoleon  immediately  after 
his  death  ;  and  as  there  was  at  all  events  no  flattery  in  this 
representation,  I  gazed  upon  it  for  some  time  with  intense 
interest,  for  it  may  truly  be  said  every  portion  of  the  counte- 
nance of  this  extraordinary  man  was  of  itself  unusual.  The 
features  were  so  remarkably  regular,  that  the  nose,  neither 
leaning  a  hair's  beadth  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  appeared 
with  mathematical  precision  to  bisect  the  face.  The  upper 
lip,  although  it  had  evidently  become  slightly  swelled  after 
death,  was  unusually  short,  the  cheek-bones  very  high ;  the 
breadth  behind  the  temples  was  also  astonishing ;  in  short, 
although  the  forehead  was  not  nearly  so  much  developed  as,; 
in  the  bust  above  it,  and  although  a  slight  cast  of  anguish 
appeared  to  flit  over  the  whole  countenance,  I  could  not 
help  feeling  how  much  more  striking  and  handsome  was  the 
real  image  of  his  death  than  the  much-admined  marble  repre- 
sentation of  the  living  man. 

On  leaving  this  beautiful  museum  of  coins  I  proceeded 
to  that  department  of  the  H6tel  des  Monnaies  which  con-  ^ 
tains  the  laboratory,  workshops,  and  machinery  of  the  Mint. 

On   entering  a  large  rectangular  room,  the   ceiling  or 
rather  roof  of  which  is  composed  principally  of  glass  win-  . 
dows,  through  which  was  streaming  a  profusion  of  light,  I  saw> 
steadily  labouring  before  me,  without  the  smallest  apparent 
desire  either  to  hurry  or  rest,  two  large  sturdy  steam-machines,  ^ 
of  32-horse  power.     At  every  pulsation  each  of  these  moun- 
tains in  labour  produced,  I  observed,  an  exceedingly  littl^^ 

*  ^Metallic  Gallery  of  the  great  men  of  France.  •' 

f  Condusioh  of  the  campaigns  and  reign  of  tlie  Emperor. 


HOT£L  D£S  MONNAIES. 


84« 


mouse,  or,  to  speak  without  metaphor,  at  eaoh  stroke  they 
punched  out  what  only  appeared  to  be  a  small  copper  button. 

Near  the  engine  I  perceived,  strewed  on  the  ground,  a 
quantity  of  thin,  white,  metallic  bars,  about  two  feet  long ; 
and  lying  about  in  various  directions  were  baskets  full  of  very 
large,  round,  white,  dull,  stupid-looking  ploughmen's  buttons, 
which,  in  fact,  were  five-franc  pieces.  The  bars  were  of  sil- 
ver of  the  exact  thickness  of  a  five-franc  piece,  rather  more 
than  twice  its  breadth,  and  rather  more  than  twelve  times  its 
length.  From  each  bar,  therefore,  were  formed  twenty-four 
pieces  of  a  total  current  value  of  120  francs. 

As  fast  as  these  large  basketfuls  of  white  buttcns  were 
punched  into  life  they  were  carried  off  to  an  adjoining  table, 
to  be — ^like  jockeys  starting  for  the  Derby — ^weighed.  Those 
"  .t  caused  the  scale  in  which  they  were  tossed  to  preponder- 
to^e  were  again  chucked  into  the  basket,  while  every  one  that 
proved  to  be  too  light  was  sent  back  to  the  foundry  to  under- 
go the  uncomfortable  operations  of  being  re-melted,  re-cast 
into  bars,  re-rolled  to  the  proper  thickness,  re-punched  by  one 
of  the  steam-engines, — in  short,  by  main  predestined  force, 
utterly  impossible  to  resist,  to  be  born  again  as  a  button. 

As  I  proceeded  through  the  great  hall  I  came  to  a  table 
covered  with  a  heap  of  those  large  silver  buttons  which  had 
caused  the  weighing  scale  to  preponderate.  The  workmen 
to  whom  they  had  been  handed  over,  taking  them  up  one  by 
one,  scrubbed  each,  rubbed  each,  or  filed  each, — in  fact,  teaz- 
ed  it  in  all  sorts  of  ways  until  it  became  exactly  of  the 
proper  weight,  when  off  it  and  its  comrades  were  despatched 
to  be  coined. 

While  I  was  witnessing  this  operation,  which  reminded 
me  a  good  deal  of  the  way  in  which  all  our  great  statesmen, 
divines,  lawyers,  generals,  and  admirals,  were  dealt  with, 
when  boys  at  school,  there  passed  me  in  a  wheelbarrow  a 
quantity  of  what  appeared  to  be  brass  busks  for  ladies'  stayp, 
— thin  plates  of  gold,  going  to  be  punched. 

On  reaching  that  part  of  the  building  in  which  the  opera- 
tion of  coining  is  performed,  I  came  first  of  all  to  a  machine 
the  strong  arm  of  which  was  slowly,  without  intermission, 
ascending  and  decending.  Beside  it  stood  an  attendant 
whose  sole  and  simple  duty  was  every  now  and  then  to  feed 
or  drop  into  a  small  upright  pipe  a  handful  of  very  small 

15* 


346  '         ^  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 

oo^per  buttons,  which,  just  as  the  head  of  a  man  who  is  guil* 
lotined  falls  neatly  into  the  canvas  bag  placed  on  purpose  ^o 
receive  it,  kept  dropping  out  through  a  spout  into  a  little 
sack,  into  which  they  arrived  coined  on  both  sides,  also  beau- 
tifully  milled  round  the  edges.  The  rate  at  which  they  fell 
I  counted  to  be  one  per  second.  There  were  in  the  room 
before  me  thirteen  of  these  machines.  The  largest  and 
stoutest,  which  stood  eight  feet  high,  were  for  coining  five- 
franc  pieces ;  the  rest,  only  five  feet,  were  for  smaller  gold 
and  copper  money. 

At  the  time  I  visited  the  Mint  it  had  refrained  for  about 
a  fortnight  to  coin  silver,  in  consequence  of  the  National 
Assembly  not  having  decided  as  to  the  new  coinage  ;  they 
had,  however,  been  stamping  about  a  million  of  francs,  in 
gold  per  day,  and  a  trifling  quantity  of  small  copper  money, 
the  form  and  impression  on  which  are  to  be  altered  as 
soon  as  the  Assembly  can  devise  the  means  of  overcoming 
the  inconvenience  that  would  arise  from  the  necessity  of 
calling  in  all  the  old  copper  of  the  monarchy.  In  fact,  like 
the  population  of  France,  a  republic  of  bags  of  buttons,  gold, 
silver,  and  copper,  are  quietly  waiting  to  know,  if  possible, 
which  way  the  political  cat  of  their  destiny  next  intends  to 
jump. 

The  H6tel  des  Monnaies,  which  has  the  exclusive  privi- 
lege of  coining  medals,  gained  by  the  monopoly,  in  1848,  the 
the  sum  of  25,637  francs. 

In  that  year  it  coined — 

Qold  medals 663 

Silver 76,029 

Flatina 2 

Copper  or  broiuse     -        -        -        -        -        -  It,!  18 

Besides  the  above  the  Mint  has  coined — 

Medals  of  Saints        .-..-.     212,000 

At  the  hdtel  are  also  performed  the  varioTis  operations 
for  assaying  articles  of  jewelry,  of  gold  and  silver,  which, 
until  duly  stamped,  are  not  allowed  to  be  offered  for  sale. 

On  quitting  the  Hdtel  des  Monnaies  I  found  my  mind 
so  uncomfortably  full  of  a  confused  mass  of  rumbling,  indi- 
gestible, windy  recollections  of  all  I  had  witnessed ,  of  gold 


HOTEL  DE8  MONNAI£S. 


347 


bosks;  silver  bars;  of  conjuring  machines,  wbioh  stood 
swallowing  buttons,  and  handing  out  bullion  ;  of  long  histo- 
ries in  copper,  of  battles,  conquests,  revolutions ;  of  military 
government,  civil  government,  glory,  and  all  of  a  sudden  no 
government  at    all ;    in   short,  a  series  of    chronological 


events, — 


"Never  ending,  still  beginning^ 
Fighting  still,  and  still  destroying,"— 


that,  to  change  the  subject,  turning  to  my  right,  I  stood  with 
my  face  to  a  dead  wall,  to  look  at  a  quantity  of  cheap  prints 
and  pictures  hanging  on  strings  upon  it ;  and  as  among  them 
was  one  the  subject  of  which  I  nad  often  before  observed, 
and  had  wished  to  obtain,  I  managed,  without  rudely  pushing 
any  of  my  fellow  gapers,  to  get  before  it.  As  soon,  howev- 
er, as  I  began  to  copy  what  I  wanted,  so  many  ^es  were  fix- 
ed upon  me,  that,  shutting  up  my  little  book,  I  went  away. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  crowd  I  had  left,  having  been  satiated, 
were  replaced  by  another  set  of  idlers;  accordingly,  as  a 
stranger  to  them  all,  I  walked  up  to  the  old  man  that  owned 
the  pictures,  and  who,  like  a  spider  watching  his  net,  was 
sitting  concealed  in  a  little  wooden  shanty  just  big  enough 
to  hold  his  chair,  and,  describing  to  him  the  one  I  wished  to 
look  at,  I  gave  him  half  a  franc  for  permission  to  turn  him 
out  of  his  habitation,  and  to  occupy  his  chair  ;  in  short,  for  a 
few  moments  to  reign  in  his  stead.  The  proprietor  was 
quite  delighted  with  the  reckless  liberality  of  my  proposal ; 
and  accordingly  I  had  scarcely  been  seated  a  min  ite  when  I 
saw  him  at  the  door  with  the  print  in  question,  entitled  as 
follows : — 

"TABLEAU  DES  PRINOIPAUX 
GRANDS  HOMMES 

Qfti  se  8ont  illuatrSt  dam  toutea 
Zes  Parties  du  Monde 

Fab  leubs  bblles  Actions,  lkub 
Genie,  ou  Leub  Coubage."* 


«  TABLE  OP  THE  PRINCIPAL 
GREAT  MEN 

Who  have  made  themselves  illtutrious  in  all 
Parts  of  the  World 

Bt  their  qbeat  AonoNS,  thbib 

GbNIUS,  OB  TUJBia  COUBAOB. 


348 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


Beneath  this  heading  was  of  courno  a  large  picture  of  the 
Temjple  of  Fame,  upon  the  pediment  of  which  there  appeared 
inscribed— 


On  both  sides  of  this  Temple  was  an  alleged  portrait  or  like- 
ness, with  a  short  history,  of  each  of  the  following  list,  which 
had  tickled  my  fancy,  not  so  much  for  the  names  it  contained 
as  for  those  it  omitted : — 


Moees. 

Charlemagne. 

Solomoa 

Haroun. 

Romulus. 

Ouillaume    le  Oonqud- 

Ooofudua. 

rant 

Th^mistode. 

Saladin. 

LSonidas. 

EicLard  Coeur  de  lion. 

Cyrus. 

Geq^dskan. 

P6riclea. 

Louis  JX. 

Socrate. 

Ouillaume  TelL 

Alexandre. 

Edward  III. 

AnnibaL 

Duguesclin,^ 

Gonstantin  le  Orand. 

Tamerlan. 

B^lisaire. 

Charles  le  T^m^raire. 

Eosrou  le  Orand. 

Christoi^e  Colomb. 

Mahomet 

Oonsalve  de  Cordoue. 

Omar  ler. 

Ferdinand  V. 

Arama 

Oama. 

*  ToillustriouBmen, 

Leon  X. 

Bayard. 

Oustave  Wasa. 

Francois  L 

Jules  IL 

Charles  Quint. 

Sixte  V. 

Henry  IL 

CrorawelL 

Turenne. 

Condd. 

Louis  XIV. 

Pierre  le  Orand 

Charles  XIL 

Cook. 

Washington. 

Napoleon  Buonaparte. 


WASHING  BOATS. 


340 


WASHING  BOATS. 


On  the  south  wall  of  the  line  of  "  Quais"  that  overlook  the  Seine 
are  neatly  arranged  for  sale  a  great  quantity  of  secondhand 
books,  ticketed  in  batches,  from  two  sous  a  volume  to  a  franc, 
a  franc  and  a  half,  two  francs,  and  occasionally  more.  I  had 
bought  and  sent  to  my  lodging  a  few  of  them,  and  was  sa  m- 
tering  along  the  banks  of  the  Seine  on  the  Quai  de  la  Megis- 
serie,  when  I  observed  beneath  me  in  the  river,  hauled  along- 
side  of  the  wharf  and  of  each  other,  several  barges  laden  with 
charcoal ;  and  as  in  each  of  these  boats  was  a  gang  of  men 
whose  profession  it  is  to  unload  them,  I  walked  down  to  look 
at  them.  Their  faces,  clothes,  and  hands  were  of  course  all 
professionally  begrimed  with  black.  On  their  heads  were  im- 
mense broad-brimmed  wideawake  hats,  several  of  which,  to  my 
astonishment,  were  ornamented  with  a  long  ostrich  feather, 
full  of  the  black  dust  of  charcoal 

"Are  there  many  of  you  that  wear  feathers  like  that?" 
said  I  to  one  of  them. 

"  Mais  oui,  Monsieur  I"*  replied  the  republican,  quietly 
spitting  into  the  water. 

"  What  would  our  London  coalwhippers  say  to  such  a  fine 
hat?"  I  muttered  to  myself  as  I  walked  away. 

Along  the  banks  of  the  river,  moored  close  to  the  quay, 
were  several  long,  covered  boats,  full  of  women  washing  clothes. 
On  stepping  into  one,  the  chef,  a  short,  intelligent  ^ooVing 
man  of  about  forty,  walking  up  to  me,  inquired  very  "'  .illy 
what  I  wanted  ?  and  as  soon  as  I  told  him,  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  politeness  he  said  he  would  have  much  pleasure 
in  showing  me  everything. 

On  each  side  or  gunwale,  104  yards  long  8dd  about  two 
feet  above  the  water,  was  a  table  fifteen  inches  broad,  before 
which,  under  cover  of  a  flat  zinc  roof,  containing  in  the  centre 
a  series  of  glass  frames,  I  found,  every  one  separated  from  her 
neighbour  by  a  small  compartment,  320  women,  in  the  act, 

*  Oh  yes  I 


350 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


flagrante  delicto^  of  belabouring,  beating,  and  scrubbing  to  death 
clothes  of  all  descriptions.  Each  pays  eight  sous  (fourpence) 
a-day  for  permission  to  wash  with  cold  water  only  from  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning  till  nine  at  night ;  her  implements  of 
torture,  such  as  brushes  for  scrubbing,  and  flat  boards  like 
battledores  for  beating,  she  finds  for  herself  For  permission 
to  boil  her  clothes  (if  she  wishes  to  do  so)  the  cost  is  two  sous 
a  bundle.  The  charge  for  washing  for  a  single  hour  is  one 
sou  and  a  half. 

The  320  women  were  all  dressed  in  clean  caps.  Besides 
the  narrow  tables  on  the  gunwales,  was  a  parallel  and  broader 
one  within  the  boat,  on  which  they  completed  their  work; 
and  accordingly,  they  were  to  be  seen,  first,  with  their  faces 
towards  the  city,  dipping  their  linen  into  the  Seine,  rapidly 
running  beside  them,  and  then  lustily  beating  it  on  the  narrow 
board;  and  afterwards  with  their  backs  to  the  metropolis, 
smoothing  and  laying  out  their  clothes  on  the  opposite  boards 
of  their  cell,  within  each  of  which  was  just  room  enough  for  an 
industrious,  lusty  woman  to  turn  herself  round.  In  that  'por- 
tion of  the  Seine  which  flows  through  Paris  there  are  no  less 
than  twenty  of  these  boats,  large  and  sipall,  in  which  the  linen 
of  the  poor  and  some  of  that  of  the  wealthier  classes  is  pum- 
melled till  it  is  clean. 

As  the  chef  was  conducting  me  to  a  portion  of  the  boat  in 
yt}-  '■  h  was  a  little  steam-bcdler  'or  heating  water,  one  of  the 
32i/  women  suddenly  stopped  in  the  act  of  belabouring  an  aged 
shirt,  and,  with  it  in  one  hand,  and  with  her  wooden  battledore 
uplifted  in  the  other,  she  made  to  me  a  very  short,  shrewd  re- 
mark, indirectly  expressive  of  thirst.  "C'est  une  malhon- 
nStet^,"  said  the  chef  to  her,  with  a  very  angry  countenance, 
"  de  vous  adresser  comme  qa  a  un  stranger  !"* 

The  woman,  with  great  humility  and  volubility,  assured 
him  she  did  not  mean  the  slightest  harm.  He  told  her  she 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  herself,  that  it  was  not  her  first  offence, 
that  she  was  much  too  fond  of  talking,  that  she  talked  to 
everybody.  "  Si  le  bon  Dieu  viendrait  abord,"  said  he  to  her, 
shaking  his  hand  close  to  her  face,  "  vous  lui  parleriez  !"t 

The  chef,  kindly  accompanying  me  to  the  gunwale  of  his 
boat,  now  took  o£f  his  hat  and  gave  me  his  "  adieu ;"  and  as  it 

*  It  is  very  uncivil  of  you  to  speak  to  a  stranger  like  that ! 

f  If  the  Almighty  were  to  come  on  board  you  would  spetdc  to  Him ! 


WASHINQ  BOATS. 


851 


was  raining  and  hailing  hard,  I  ran  across  the  streefc  into  a  little 
wine-shop,  the  counter  of  which  was  covered  with  very  small 
tumblers.  Close  beside  me  stood  a  gentleman  who,  to  save  his 
new  hat  from  the  rain,  had  economically  put  over  it  a  white 
pocket-handkerchief,  the  ends  of  which  were  amusingly  con- 
trasted with  the  black  beard  under  which  they  were  tied. 
During  the  few  minutes  I  was  in  this  cabaret,  men  in  blouses 
and  women  in  white  caps  and  occasionally  in  gold  ear-rings 
kept  dropping  in  to  drink  a  glass,  and  sometimes  two,  of  bright 
red  wine  (worth  about  fifteen  sous  a  bottle,  containing  eight 
glasses),  for  each  of  which  they  paid  two  sous ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  amount  purchased  was  tossed  off,  the  customer,  sometimes 
wiping  and  sometimes  licking  his  or  her  healthy  lips,  walked 
out  of  the  door,  which,  even  during  the  storm,  was  always  wide 
open. 

What  a  difference  between  this  simple  refreshment  and 
the  horrid  interior  of  our  fine  London  gin-palaces,  in  which, 
in  an  atmosphere  stinking  of  gin,  young  girls,  old  women, 
"  ladies  "  with  parasols  and  silk  bags ;  men  of  all  ages,  from 
shabby  genteel  attire  down  to  jackets  out  at  elbows,  and  with 
a  bit  of  shirt  inquisitively  poking  out  of  trousers  behind,  are 
to  be  seen  entering  through  a  swinging  door,  constructed  on 
purpose  to  conceal  them,  to  drink,  at  a  zinc  table  slopped  by 
the  unstea'dy  hands  ranged  in  front  of  it,  a  liquid,  the  first 
effects  of  whiclr  may  be  seen  in  the  ghastly  countenances  and 
collapsed  attitudes  of  a  row  of  drunkards  seated  on  a  bench 
opposite  to  the  counter,  in  order  to  recover  their  senses  sufli- 
ciently  to  enable  them  to  walk  "  homeP 

The  poisonous  consequences  of  a  system  which,  by  en- 
feebling the  stomach,  enervating  the  mind,  debilitating  the 
frame,  and  eventually  ruining  the  happiness,  character,  and 
prospects  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people,  may  roughly  be 
estimated  by  the  dreadful  fact  {^ide  our  Parliamentary  re- 
turns) that  there  is  annually  consumed  by  the  lower  classes 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  in  beer,  spirits,  and  tobacco, 
the  enormous  sum  of  fifty-seven  millions  sterling,  and  in 
spirits  alone  thirty  millions  ! 

On  leaving  the  cabaret  I  had  occasion  to  call  at  a  shop, 
on  the  counter  of  which  were  lying  a  number  of  extremely 
dear  but  very  good  British  tooth-brushes.  The  owner,  a 
Scotchman,  told  me  he  sold  a  great  number  of  that  price  and 


352 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 


quality ;  "  and  yet,"  said  he,  with  a  slight  smile,  "  one  house 
in  Paris  sent  to  England  last  year  a  thousand  dozen  of  cheap 
bad  ones  1" 


•  ••- 


THE  PLACE  DE  GRilVE. 


Among  the  various  colours  and  the  innumerable  lights  and 
shadows  composing  those  pictures  which  the  painter  is  in  the 
habit  of  exhibiting  to  the  eye,  and  the  moralist  to  the  mind, 
of  man,  there  exists  no  contrast  more  striking  than  that 
which  distinguishes  the  present  and  past  tenses  of  the  his- 
tory of  Paris.  In  the  metropolis  of  France  the  surface  of 
society  is  so  smooth  and  unruffled,  there  exists  everywhere 
such  highly  polished  politeness,  such  gaiety  of  heart,  such 
hospitality  to  strangers,  so  many  amusements,  and  such  a 
variety  of  apparently  innocent  amusements,  that  I  often  felt 
it  almost  impossible  to  believe  that  the  place  on  which  I  stood 
basking  in  the  sunshine  I  have  described  had  been  the  scene 
of,  and  the  people  around  me  the  actors  in,  a  series  of  trage- 
dies exhibiting  the  most  furious  passions  and  the  most  fear- 
ful results.  The  Place  de  Greve  is,  in  the  history  of  Paris, 
one  of  the  most  revolting  localities  the  stranger  could  be  in- 
duced to  visit.  For  many  centuries  it  was  the  spot  on  which 
criminals  were  executed ;  and  besides  having  been  thus  ap- 
propriated to  scenes  of  horror,  its  pavement  has  been  stained 
with  the  blood  of  the  victims  of  almost  every  revolution  that 
has  occurred.  On  the  17th  of  March,  1848,  it  was  the  scene 
of  a  frightful  mutiny  in  favour  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment ;  and  on  the  16th  of  the  following  month  an  attempt 
to  overturn  that  Government  was  foiled  here  by  the  steady 
attitude  of  the  National  Guard. 

I  was  desirous  to  visit  the  apartments  in  the  H6tel  de 
Yille,  and  having,  in  reply  to  a  written  application  in  the 
form  recommended  by  Galignani,' obtained  from  the  Prefect 
of  the  Seine  the  usual  authority  granted  to  strangers  to  do 
so,  I  got  with  it  into  an  omnibus,  in  which  I  proceeded  until 
the  conducteur — ^who  remembers  everybody's  wishes — after 
pulling  his  string  to  apprise  the  coachman,  told  me,  as  soon 


THE  PLACF  DB  QREVE. 


353 


scene 


as  the  yehicle  had  <]^mte  stopped,  that  I  had  reached  the 
point  of  my  destination ;  and  accordingly,  on  descending  I 
saw  immediately  before  me  the  magnificent  facade  of  the 
H6tel  de  Ville,  which  formed  one  entire  side  of  a  large  long 
paved  space  of  no  shape  at  all. 

In  rumbling  side-foremost  through  Paris  in  an  omnibus, 
one  is  so  constantly  disturbed  by  an  endless  variety  oL  little 
tantalizing  peeps  at  objects  passing  and  being  passed ;  there 
enter  and  depart  so  many  people  whose  costume  and  counte- 
nances urgently  require  a  few  moments'  observation ;  there 
are  such  a  variety  of  little  jolts;  and  lastly,  in  crawling 
towards  the  door  behind,  one  is  so  exceedingly  anxious  not  to 
tread  upon  anybody's  tpes,  sit  in  anybody's  lap,  or  fall  into 
anybody's  arms^  that  after  the  vehicle  had  driven  away  I  invari- 
ably found  it  desirable  to  give  to  the  feathers  of  my  mind  a 
few  minutes  to  become  smooth  again.  Instead,  therefore,  of 
walking  straight  to  the  Hdtel  de  Ville,  for  some  minutes  I 
stood  still,  exactly  where,  as  an  utter  stranger,  I  had  been 
dropped,  amusing  myself  in  looking  at  the  merry  little  world 
upon  which  I  had  descended.  Almost  close  beside  me  was  a 
small  crowd,  composed  of  happy  people  of  all  ages,  listening 
to  a  man  singing.  Before  him  stood  his  wife,  very  attentive- 
ly watching  his  mouth,  and  fiddling  to  it  as  it  sang  as  fol- 
lows : — 

LE  SOLDAT  R^JPUBLICAN.* 

.4»r— du  "Retour  en  France." 

Avec  ardeur  je  veux  servir  la  France. 
Oh  1  chers  parents  dont  j'emporte  ramonr, 
Consolez-vouB  du  temps  de  mon  absence, 
Bien  fier  je  veux  vous  revenir  un  jour. 
Alors  la  croix  de  mon  noble  courage 


*  THE  REPUBLICAN  SOLDIER. 

Air—^  The  Return  to  France." 

With  ardour  I  will  serve  France. 
Oh  1  dear  parents,  whose  love  I  carry  with  me, 
Oonsole  yourselves  diiring  my  absence, 
With  pnde  shall  I  return  to  you  some  day. 
Then  the  cross  of  my  noble  courage  ^ 


354  ^  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 

1 

Peut-^tre  bieu  brillera  sur  moa  sein. 
On  me  dira,  revenaDt  au  village, 
Honneur  d  toi,  soldat  republican  1 

The  rest  of  the  open  space  was  animated  by  an  endless 
variety  of  objects.  There  were  .the  red  tufts,  bright  cap- 
plates,  light-grey  great-coats,  and  loose  scarlet  trousers  of 
soldiers  sauntering  about  everywhere,  excepting  at  their 
guard-room,  round  which  a  large  number  stood  swarming 
together  like  bees.  There  were  blouses  of  dark  and  of  light 
blue,  beards  of  various  shapes,  women's  caps,  of  various 
dimensions,  two  dogs  of  different  breeds  ;  different  coloured 
carriages,  and  occasionally  very  gaudy  carts,  appeared,  slow- 
ly passed,  and  then  vanished.  But  what  most  attracted  my 
attention  was  the  extraordinary  contrast  between  the  magni- 
ficent faqade  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville  and  the  irregular  archi- 
tecture and  colouring  of  the  buildings  which  bounded  the 
opposite  sides  of  the  odd-shaped  space  before  me.  ~  Not  only 
were  the  houses  of  all  sorts  of  forms,  heights,  and  Lues,  but  it 
was  evident  the  inhabitants  had  been  contending  with  each 
other  in  painting  upon  the  outside  walls  of  the  strata  at 
which  they  respectively  lived,  in  bright  colours,  their  names, 
their  trades,  pictures  of  pots  and  kettles,  and  sometimes  full- 
length  portraits  of  great  heroes,  &c.,  &c.  For  instance,  I 
observed  announced  on  one  floor  "  Baths  "  in  light  blue ;  a 
"  Caf6 '  (the  whole  house)  in  bright  yellow ;  the  lower  stories 
of  the  "  Commerce  de  Vins "  in  light-green ;  an  omnibus 
establishment,  bright  scarlet ;  above  that,  in  different  colours, 
"  Maison  Poulin,"  "  Bureau  de  Gardens  Mds. ;"  a  restaura- 
teur, four  stories  high ;  a  dentist,  two  stories.  In  another 
direction,  at  a  considerable  distance,  "  Mds.  de  Vin,"  in  yel- 
low ;  "  Remplacements  Militaires,"  in  yellow  on  bright  blue ; 
above  that  a  grand  tableau  of  a  charge  of  cavalry  with  drawn 
sabres,  the  leading  dragoon  in  the  act  of  cutting  down  a  man 
who,  with  uplifted  arms,  is  piteously  begging  him  on  no 
account  to  do  so.  On  the  top  of  all,  on  a  wall  painted  jet 
black — 


Will  perhaps  shine  brightly  on  my  breast 

It  will  be  said  to  me,  on  returning  to  my  village, 

Honour  to  thee,  republican  soidierl 


THE  PLACE  DE  GBEVE.  355 

"Arh^teldeviUe 

^rande 
Teintuner  pour  Deuil  :"* 

the  whole  surmoimted  by  different-shaped  chimneys,  some  of 
the  pots  of  which  were  red,  some  yellow,  some  of  long  grey 
zinc,  purposely  bent  into  various  angular  forms. 

After  admiring  for  a  few  minutes  the  gaudy,  gay,  cheer- 
ful locality  in  which  the  'bus  had  dropped  me,  I  felt  anxious 
to  inform  myself  what  it  was  called,  but,  instead  of  being 
gratified  I  almost  shuddered  when,  in  reply  to  my  question, 
a  clean,  quiet,  happy-looking  woman  at  my  side  said  to  me, 
"  Monsieur,  c'est  la  Place  de  Grive."  Never  had  I  before 
witnessed  what,  with  reference  to  its  past  history,  might  be 
more  truly  termed  a  painted  sepulchre  ! 

On  entering  the  great  portal  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville,  the 
finest  of  the  municipal  buildings  of  Paris,  the  residence  of  the 
Pr^fet,  and  containing  the  various  offices  of  his  department, 
I  found  myself  almost  immediately  lost  in  a  complication  01 
magnificent  staircases,  landing-places,  corridors  enriched  with 
gorgeous  sculpture,  ending  in  grand  arterial  and  in  very 
little  venous  passages.  Not  seeing  any  one,  and  not  knowing 
how  or  wh'ere  to  proceed,  I  opened  a  door  which  happened  to 
be  on  my  right,  entered,  and  I  had  only  got  as  far  in  my 
simple  history  as  "  S'il  vous  plait.  Monsieur  !"t  when  the 
gentleman  to  whom  I  had  addressed  myself,  apparently 
knowing  what  I  wanted  before  I  had  explained  it,  said,  very 
civilly,  but  very  shortly — 

"  Montez  au  premier !  "X 

Poor,  man!  I  have  no  doubt  that,  as  almost  every 
stranger  in  Paris  who  visits  the  H6tel  de  Ville  loses  his  way 
in  the  intricacies  I  have  described,  he  is  bored  to  death  by 
inquisitive  Englishmen  throughout  every  day  in  the  year 
poking  in  their  faces  at  his  door,  and  saying  to  him,  "  Mon- 
sieur, s'il  vous  plait !" 

On  ascending  to  the  next  landing-place  I  found  an  official, 
who,  on  receiving  my  order  of  admission,  ushered  me  with  a 
bow  into  an  ante-chamber  ornamented  with  gilt   leather 

*  At  the  sign  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville — ^Dyer  for  mourning. 

+  If  you  please,  Sir! 

f  Go  to  the  stoiy  above  I 


356 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


hangings,  in  imitation  of  the  ancient  furniture  of  Italy  and 
Flanders,  and  leading  into  a  suite  of  apartments  infinitely 
more  handsome  than  I  had  expected  to  see. 

Of  these  magnificent  rooms,  the  state  apartments  of  the 
Prefect,  the  first  is  the  "Salle  d' Introduction ;"  its  walls  are 
of  red  damask,  ornamented  by  a  frieze  painted  by  Court. 
From  the  ceiling  hang  handsome  gilt  lustres.  This  room 
contains  a  bronze  statue  of  Henry  lY.  in  his  youth,  and  an 
equestrian  one  of  the  same,  a  copy  of  that  on  the  Pont  Neuf, 
by  Leiuot,  also  in  bronze. 

The  walls,  as  also  the  chairs,  of  the  second,  called  the 
"  Salle  de  Jeu,"  are  covered  with  light-blue  satin ;  the  ceiling 
and  frieze  are  richly  gilt  and  painted.  In  this  apartment 
there  are  no  tables. 

The  third,  the  "  Salle  de  Bal,"  is  a  magnificent  hall,  about 
90  fee^  long  by  45  broad,  22  high,  divided  by  pilasters  into 
three  compartments ;  the  chairs,  sofas,  and  ottomans  in  which 
are  covered  with  crimson  damask,  with  bullions  of  gold  about 
nine  inches  long.  The  whole  is  lighted  by  fourteen  superb 
lustres,  also  by  thirty-six  gilt  candelabras  against  the  wall, 
each  holding  nine  candles,  besides  two  candelabras  on  chim- 
ney-pieces, containing  twenty-four  more.  In  fact,  my  mind 
shuddered  and  my  eyes  almost  smarted  as  I  counted  pandles 
enough  to  vitiate  the  air,  ruin  the  lungs,  and  destroy  the  eye- 
sight, not  only  of  the  dancers,  but  of  the  spectators  of  the 
dance  of  death. 

On  the  ceiling  I  observed  a  large  allegorical  painting  by 
Pirot,  representing  Paris  environed  by  the  Mufces  and  the 
attributes  of  art ;  in  the  background  appeared  an  assembly  of 
the  most  eminent  men  in  France.  The  whole  is  surrounded 
by  ten  hexagonal  compartments,  containing  allegorical  figures 
of  Theology,  Medicine,  Mechanics,  Agriculture,  Law,  Com- 
merce, Natural  Philosophy,  Chemistry,  Justice,  and  Geometry. 
In  the  first  section  of  this  splendid  chamber  the  compartments 
of  the  ceiling  are  charged  with  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  and 
allegorical  representations  of  Night  and  Day.  Those  of  the 
extreme  section  contain  Genii  holding  scrolls,  on  which  are 
inscribed  the  names  of  celebrated  artists.  The  two  central 
compartments  represent  Truth  and  Genius.  Over  the  doors 
are  medallions  of  Louis  XIV.  and  Louis  Philippe,  the  latter 
of  which  have  been  seriously  damaged,    The  walls  are  beauti- 


THE  PLACE  DE  GREVE. 


857 


fully  painted  in  arabesque,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  circular 
divan,  in  which  stands  a  gilt  pedestal  of  bronze  supporting 
the  figures  of  Agriculture,  Commerce,  and  the  Fine  Arts. 

All  over  the  world  dancing  requires  refreshment,  and 
accordingly,  after  the  magnificent  red  ball-room  comes,  quite 
naturally,  the  ."  salon  de  cafe,"  a  beautiful  room,  hung  with  - 
yellow  silk  embroidered  with  white.  Lastly,  there  appears, 
as  a  "piece  de  resistance"  to  the  gorgeous  feast  which  the 
eye  has  just  enjoyed,  a  substantial  dining-room,  the  walls  of 
which  are  painted  in  imitation  of  oak  \  the  uncarpeted  floor 
being  of  the  real  wood,  waxed,  rubbed,  and  slipperified  as 
usual.  The  frieze  is  appropriately  ornamented  with  subjects 
belonging  to  the  chase,  to  the  fisheries,  &c. ;  beneath  are 
spacious  kitchens,  sufl&oient  to  provide  a  banquet  for  one 
thousand  persons.  On  returning  through  this  splendid  suite 
of  rooms,  the  fioors  of  which,  excepting  the  last,  are  all  covered 
with  handsome  thick  crimson  carpet,  over  which  hang  the 
series  of  gilt  chandeliers  I  have  described,  I  found,  by  pacing 
them,  that  they  are  altogether  about  270  feet  in  length. 

Opposite  the  antechamber  of  entrance  and  the  passage 
leading  thereto,  is  a  door,  through  which  I  passed  into  the 
ancient  "  salon  du  roi,"  in  which,  when  the  present  H6tel  de 
Villo  was  a  royal  residence,  the  several  Kings  of  France  used 
to  dine. 

On  the  first  story  is  the  "  Salle  de  Horloge,"  formerly 
called  the  "  Salle  de  Trdne,"  occupying  the  whole  length  of 
the  central  portion  of  the  building.  The  walls  of  this  mag- 
nificent apartment  are  adorned  with  velvet  hangings  trimmed 
with  gold ;  the  vast  fireplaces,  ornamented  with  recumbent 
figures  in  white  marble  of  the  same  date  as  the  staircase,  are 
surmounted  by  mantel-pieces,  on  which  in  those  on  the  right 
is  a  splendid  allegorical  painting  of  the  Bepublic  by  Hesse  ; 
while  on  the  opposite  one  appear,  richly  execilted,  the  arms 
of  the  city,  gules  a  ship  argent.  The  square  compartments 
of  the  ceiling  are  charged  with  armorial  bearings.  This 
splendid  room  has,  like  the  fatal  "  Place  de  G-reve  "  beneath 
it,  witnessed  many  of  the  most  fearful  acts  of  the  Revolution 
with  which  France  has  been  afilicted.  From  the  central 
window  of  the  G-rand  Salle,  Louis  XVL,  with  the  cap  of 
liberty  on  that  head  which  shortly  afterwards  dropped  lifeless 
on  the  scaffold,  went  through  the  mockery  of  addressing  "  the 


358 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENCH  STICKS. 


people."  The  room  in  which  Robespierre  held  his  oonnoil 
and  in  which  he  attempted  to  destroy  himself  is  shown,  as 
also  the  window  at  which,  in  1830,  General  Lafayette,  em- 
bracing Louis  Philippe,  presented  him  to  "  the  people,"  from 
whom — from  army,  fortifications  of  Paris,  and  all — in  1848 
he  fled  to  save  his  life  I 

On  descending  the  beautiful  staircase,  and  on  returning 
again  to  the  Place  de  Greve,  I  paced  along  the  western  and 
northern  fronts,  which  I  found  to  be  respectively  about  420 
and  270  feet  in  breadth.  The  south  front  next  to  the  Seine 
looks  upon  a  pleasing  garden.  On  the  north  workmen  were 
busily  employed  in  demolishing  houses  for  the  purpose  of  ez- 
tuiiding  the  Place  de  Greve,  which  now  forms  an  esplanade 
only  on  the  western  side ;  this  expense  will  be  exclusive  of  the 
fifteen  millions  of  francs  lately  expended  in  additions  and  in 
embellishments  to  the  building,  which,  as  if  nourished  by  the 
bloodshed  and  devastation  it  has  witnessed,  has  gradually 
increased  in. size  and  grandeur  ever  since  1357,  when  the 
municipality  of  Paris,  or  Corps  de  Ville  (whose  meetings  had 
formerly  been  held,  first  in  a  house  called  "  la  Maison  de  la 
Marchandise,"  situated  in  the  Yallee  de  la  Misere,  west  of  the 
Grand  Chdtelet,  and  afterwards  in  a  residence  called  "Parlouer 
aux  Bourgeois,"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Place  St.  Michel),  pur- 
chased for  the  sum  of  2880  livres  de  Paris  "  la  Maison  de  la 
Greve,"  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  Philip  Augustus,  and 
had  frequently  been  a  royal  residence. 

I  had  crossed  the  Pont  Neuf,  and,  tired  and  weary,  was 
walking  slowly  towards  the  fashionable  west  end  of  Paris, 
when  the  owner  of  a  blacking-shop  with  a  slight  bow  politely 
pointed  out  to  me  that  my  boots  were  very  dusty,  and  accord- 
ingly, thanking  him  for  the  hint,  I  ascended  his  tribune,  or 
exalted  seat,  which  magnificently  overlooked  the  crowd  of  foot 
passengers  passing  to  and  fro  beneath. 

I  was  scarcely  seated  when  he  put  into  my  hand  a  news- 
paper, and  leaving  me  on  scarlet  plush,  and  with  a  large 
looking-glass  behind  me  to  study  its  contents  in  an  attitude 
and  position  strange  enough  to  form  half-a-dozen  magnificent 
leading  articles  in  the  "  Times,"  he  set  to  work  with  a  brush  in 
each  hand  to  put  me  to  rights.  \ 

As  the  sun  was  very  hot  the  application  of  the  wet  black- 
ing was  rather  refreshing,  and  the  polishing  process,  which 


1848 


ENTBBPRISl'S  DES  POMPES  FUNEBRES. 


359 


almost  instantly  ensued,  was,  I  should  say,  something  like  be- 
ing shampooed ;  but  what  seemed  to  me  infinitely  more  delight- 
ful than  all  was,  to  observe  that,  during  the  whole  of  the  time 
I  sat  in  this  description  of  exalted  pillory,  not  a  single  indi- 
vidual of  thQ  hundreds  that  passed  for  a  moment  looked 
at  me. 

The  bench  was  arranged  so  that  six  persons,  each  seated 
on  Loarlet  plush,  and  each  with  a  looking-glass  at  his  back,  and 
each  with  a  newspaper  in  his  hand,  could  be  polished  off  at 
once ! 


■  ••• 


ENTREPRISB  DES  POMPES  FUNEBRES. 


In  walking  along  the  Rue  St.  Honors  I  observed  the  outside 
of  the  large  church  of  St.  Roch  to  be  in  mounting ;  and  as  I 
had  a  few  minutes  to  spare,  I  walked  in.  The  organ,  and 
some  magnificent  deep  voices,  which  appeared  to  be  reverbe- 
rating together  from  every  portion  of  the  ceiling  above  me 
and  of  the  walls  around  me,  were  assisting  in  the  performance 
of  high  mass  for  one  whose  earthly  remains  were  in  a  coffin 
before,  but  at  some  distance  from,  the  great  altar,  hung  with 
black  c^^th  covered  with  white  fig-shaped  spots,  representing 
tears ;  the  steps,  and  everything  near  and  around  th^m,  were 
covered  with  black ;  there  was  moreover  a  large  congregation 
of  priests,  all  clothed  in  black  and  silver. 

While  this  scene  of  woe  and  of  deep-sounding  lamentations 
was  going  on  at  the  great  altar,  I  perceived  a  small  but  dense 
crowd  of  people  engaged  at  one  of  the  little  ones,  from  which 
there  also  proceeded  chanting  and  prayer,  which  occasionally 
clashed  and  occasionally  amicably  mingled  ^ith  the  loud 
swelling  sounds  of  the  organ  and  its  mournful  accompani- 
ments. 

I  was  observing  the  performance  of  this  double  service, 
looking  sometimes,  towards  the  little  altar,  and  then  at  the 
horizontal  backs  of  the  large  crowd  of  men  and  women  who 
with  bent  bodies  were  joining  in  the  last  sad  requiem  to  the 
dead,  when  I  saw  a  slight  movement  among  the  small  crowd, 
which  began  to  approach  me,  following  a  bride  white  all  over ; 


860 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


in  short,  at  one  end  of  the  church  they  had  heen  most  joyfully 
marrying  a  couple,  while  in  the  middle  they  were  as  mourn- 
fully hurying  a  man.  It  was  on  the  1st  of  May,  and,  as  nearly 
as  i  could  calculate,  the  Queen  of  England  and  Prince  Albert 
were  at  that  moment  within  the  Crystal  Palace  opening  the 
Exhibition  of  the  Industry  of  all  Nations.  In  front  of  the 
bride  there  strutted,  with  as  much  pride  as  if  she  had  wholly 
and  solely  belonged  to  him,  a  tall  man  in  a  cocked-hat,  splendid 
uniform  coat,  and  black  breeches,  carrying  in  his  right  hand  a 
very  tall  staff,  with  which  he  occasionally  tapped  the  stone 
pavement  of  the  church,  to  admonish  the  toes  of  bystanders 
to  get  out  of  his  way.  I  had  observed  him  only  a  minute  be-, 
fore  close  to  the  coffin,  from  which  he  must  have  hurried  to 
honour  and  clear  a  road  for  the  bride  and  bridegroom  to  their 
carriage.  While  they  were  escaping,  as  people  in  such  a  pre- 
dicament usually  do,  from  a  little  side  door  of  the  church,  I 
walked  towards  the  great  portal,  close  to  which  I  observed 
standing,  or  rather  tottering,  an  old  man,  holding  in  his  right 
hand  a  brush,  wet  with  holy  water,  which  most  people  as  they 
passed  him  touched  with  a  finger  or  two,  and  then,  with  the 
same,  crossed  their  faces  ;  and  although  the  exertion  of  hold- 
ing a  damp  brush  is  not  great,  the  poor  fellow  seemed  as  if  it 
was  altogether  too  much  for  him ;  in  fact,  he  appeared  com- 
pletely worn  out,  and  all  but  dead  and — as  all  people  dyin^  in 
Paris  are  entombed  within  twenty-four  hours  of  their  demise — 
buried.  As  soon  as  I  go,t  into  the  fresh  air  I  saw  before  me 
in  the  street  several  mourning-carriages  and  the  hearse,  a  sort 
of  open  barouche  surmounted  with  black  ostrich  feathers  and 
black  trappings,  heavily  laden  with  silver  lace.  The  horses 
were  hidden  in  black  clothes  covered  with  silver  stars,  and 
traversed  and  bound  with  silver  lace.  The  coachmap,  dressed 
in  clothes  of  black  and  argent,  wore  a  black  cocked-hat,  orna- 
mente  I  with  silver  lace.  The  large  entrance  door  and  front 
wall  of  the  church  were  completely  covered  with  black  cloth, 
silver  lace,  and  rich  similar  bullion  six  inches  long.  Lastly, 
above  the  three  doors,  namely,  the  large  centre  one  and  small 
one  on  each  side  of  it — from  one  of  which  there  had  just  flown 
the  beautiful  white  bridal  butterfly,  who  in  the  chrysalis  state 
had  been  brought  before  the  little  altar — there  was  inscribed 
in  large  letters, 

"LiBERTE,  FaATERNrri,  Egaijt6.'*  \. 


ENTBEPBISE  DES  P0MPE8  FUNEBBES. 


36,1 


In  the  afternoon,  ai(  I  was  returning  home  very  tired,  iii 
passing  the  Church  of  St.  Rooh  I  perceived  two  dingy  blaok 
Tans,  into  which  some  men  dressed  in  rusty  clothes  were  stuffing 
'  all  the  dark  costly  finery  which,  on  the  interior  walls,  stepH  of 
altar,  and  exterior  of  the  church,  had  been  displayed  at  the 
morning  ceremony  I  had  witnessed.  After  watching  the 
operation  for  some  minutes,  I  asked  a  man  in  a  cooked-hat, 
very  vigorously  assisting,  where  all  the  black  bales  ho  was  load- 
ing were  going.  "  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  '*  tout  appartic  ,t  auz 
Pompes  Funebrea!"*  moreover,  in  reply  to  my  further  in- 
quiries he  was  good  enough  to  add — as  with  the  sleeve  of  his 
dingy  coat  he  wiped  a  stratum  of  perspiration  from  the  small 
portion  of  his  face  that  remained  uncovered  with  hair — that 
the  office  was  at  the  top  of  the  Rue  Miromenil,  just  beyond 
the  residence  of  the  British  Ambassador ;  and  as  I  was  anx- 
ious to  get  to  the  bottom  of  my  subject,  I  determined,  instead 
of  going  to  my  dinner,  to  walk  there. 

'^  I  shall  now,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  see,  I  suppose,  a  blaok 
world  I"  and  yet  I  own  I  was  not  quite  prepared  after  a  weary 
walk  to  find,  on  turning  out  of  the  Rue  St.  Honors  into  the 
one  he  had  named,  that  the  venr  water  running  in  the  gutters 
down  the  street  was  black  I  "  Very  odd !  isn't  it  ?"  thought  I ; 
however,  as  I  never  allowed  my  mind  to  remain  in  Pans  one 
moment  in  ignorance  of  anything  anybody  passing  me  was 
acquainted  with,  I  asked  a 'shopman  who  was  crossing  from  his 
door  what  might  be  the  cause  of  the  colour  of  the  bubbling 
fluid  to  which  I  pointed.  "  Monsieur,  qa  vient  d'un  teinturier 
a  c6t6  un  peu  plus  hUut ;"  f  and  accordingly,  tracing  it  trul^ 
enough  to  that  source,  I  continued  to  ascend  the  street,  until 
on  the  left  I  saw  before  me  in  large  letters  "  Service  G6n6ral 
des  Inhumations  et  Pompes  Funebres  de  la  Yille  de  Paris."  % 

Beneath  an  arch  was  the  "  Bureau,"  which  I  had  scarcely 
entered,  when  I  perceived  from  the  face  \>f  the  person  to  whom 
I  addressed  myself  that  I  was  very  particularly  welcome. 
"  What  was  my  wish  ?  What  would  be  my  orders  ?"  As  soon, 
however,  as  I  replied  that  as  a  stranger  I  only  wanted  to  know 
what  were  the  charges  for  different  descriptions  of  funerals, 
t;he  clerk,  with  a  countenance  sickening  almost  unto  death,  po- 

*  Sir,  it  all  belongs  to  the  Faneral-pomp  Association! 
+  Sir,  it  comes  from  a  dyer  a  little  higher  up ! 
i  General  Bui'ial  and  Funeral-Pomp  Aaeociation  of  the  City  of  Vvm. 
16 


862 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


litely  referred  me  to  his  superior,  who  as  politely  told  nie  I 
oould  only  get  the  information  I  wanted  from  the  "ohef "  of 
the  establishment.  He  happened  to  be  in  the  yard,  and  re- 
ceived me  with  groat  civility  ;  but  although  there  can  exist,  one 
would  think,  no  objection  whatever  to  telling  the  living  what 
is  charged  for  burying  their  dead,  yet,  as  soon  as  this  stout 
gentleman  found  I  was  really  a  nonentity  in  creation,  that  is 
to  say,  that  I  possessed  nobody  I  desired  to  bury,  he  told  me 
frankly  he  did  not  wish  to  give  the  information  I  desired ;  he, 
however,  readily  allowed  me  to  walk  through  his  establishment. 
On  entering  the  first  stable  I  found  in  it  no  less  than  one 
hundred  and  thirty  horses,  all  black.  Above  their  heads  and 
mangers  were  affixed  upon  the  wall  the  names  of  each.  I  ex- 
pected that  among  them  I  should,  of  course,  find  "  Pluto," 
"  Minos,"  "  Charon,"  "  Cerberus,"  or  other  such  appropriate  ap- 
pellations ;  however,  in  France  the  sound  of  the  drum  seems 
more  or  less  to  influence  everything,  and,  accordingly,  almost 
the  first  funeral  horse  I  came  to  was  called  ''  Pistol,"  the  next 
(( Eagle,"  then  stood  munching  '•''  Pollux,"  and,  at  last,  appro- 

Eriately  came  "  Yictoire !"  The  stable  was  not  ventilated,  the 
orses  were  only  three  feet  apart,  leaving  scarcely  room  to  pass 
with  safety  between  the  heels  of  the  two  rows  attached  to  op- 
posite walls ;  they  nevertheless — no  doubt  from  the  quantity 
of  walking  exercise  they  professionally  enjoyed — all  looked 
sleek  and  healthy.  After  going  through  the  remainder  of  the 
stables,  I  crossed  the  Bue  Miromeml  into  a  yard  full  of  mys- 
terious uncomfortable-looking  planks,  tressels,  and  ladders,  be- 
yond which  was  a  large  building  like  a  barn,  replete  with  re- 
publican hearses  of  all  conceivable  and  inconceivable  forms, 
from  one  apparently  made  of  silver  and  as  fine  as  the  state 
coach  of  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  down  to  a  rattletrap  bier 
on  wheels,  with  side  rails  barely  high  enough  to  prevent  a 
coffiQ  from  being  jolted  out. 


•  •• 


fiCOLE  POLYTECHNIQUE. 

By  a  decree  of  the  National  Assembly,  dated  11  th  March,  1794, 
there  was  established  in  Paris  a  Board  of  Public  Works,  the 


ECOLE  POL  TTECIINIQ UE. 


363 


central  school  of  which,  by  a  subsequent  decree,  dated  1st  Sep- 
tember, 1795,  took  the  name  of  Eoole  Poly  technique.  Its  ob- 
ject, as  its  name  partly  defines,  is  to  shelter  every  branch  of 
Boicnco ;  and  accordingly,  from  this  noble  institution,  into 
which  about  300  6l6ves,  from  sixteen  to  twenty  years  of  age, 
are  received  for  two  years,  and  occasionally  for  three,  there  are 
continually-  flowing  streams  of  useful  knowledge,  of  greater  or 
less  magnitude,  into  the  following  channels  : — 

1.  The  military  corps  of  Engineers,  }  whose  school  of  ap- 

2.  The  military  corps  of  Artillery,    S  plication  is  at  Metz. 

3.  The  "  Marine,"  or  naval  service. 

4.  The  corps  of  Maritime  Engineers,  whose  school  is  at 
Lorient. 

5.  The  Artillery  of  the  Marine,  whose  school  is  at  Metz. 

6.  The  «  Ecole  d'etat  Major,"  at  Paris. 

7.  The  Ecole  des  Mines,  )    ,  i.    i     r       i» 

8.  The  Eoole  des  Pontset  chaus- J^^,?'^^'^^^^^''^''^-^ 

.  i  cation  are  at  Pans. 

9.  The  School  of  "Poudres  et  Salpdtres."* 

10.  The  System  of  Telegraphs,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior. 

11.  The  National  Manufactures  of  Tobacco,  composed  of 
ten  manufactories,  dependent  on  the  central  one  at  63,  Qnai 
d'Orsay,  at  Paris. 

12.  The  Department  of  Finances,  under  the  Minister  of  Fi- 
nance. 

After  looking  for  a  short  time  at  the  new  front,  containing  a 
bas-relief  appropriately  representing  an  amicable  combination 
of  implements  of  war  and  machines  of  peace,  I  entered  the 
gate  of  the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  and,  on  producing  my  order, 
was  introduced  to  an  officer,  who  was  good  enough,  in  reply  to 
a  f«w  queries,  to  give  me  the  following  preliminary  information. 

The  establishment  is  governed  and  regulated  by — 


Military. 


1  General. 
1  Colonel. 
6  Captains. 
6  Adjutants. 


4  Serjeant  Majors. 

6  Drummers. 

1  Soldier  for  the  infirmary. 


*  Gunpowder  and  saltpetre. 


'  $64 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


Civil. 

1  Direotor-in-chief  of  the  Studies.     6  Professors. 

1  Administrateur,  who  has  sole  charge  of  the  arrangements  of 
the  school  and  buildings. 

1  Treasurer.  1  Assistant  ditto. 

1  Commis  du  MatSriol,  i:i  charge  of  linen,  furniture,  and  bil- 
liards. 1  Assistant  ditto. 

1  Commis  de  Vivres,  in  charge  of  the  provisions. 

3  Commis  des  Bureaux,  for  the  accounts,  and  for  correspond- 
ence. 

1  M^decin,  of  the  rank  of  chirurgien-major. 

1  Assistant  ditto.  15  Garqons.  servants. 

For  board,  lodging,  and  education,  the  Aleves  pay,  for  the 
first  year,  1500  francs  (60^.;  for  the  second,  1000  (40/.).  The 
expenses  of  about  twenty  young  men  of  distinguished  talents, 
but  who  have  no  money,  are  every  year  defrayed  by  Govern- 
ment. Their  studies  commence  at  six  in  the  morning,  and 
end  at  nine  at  night ;  between  those  hours  they  breakfast  at 
eight,  dine  at  two,  from  half-past  two  to  five  are  allowed  recre- 
ation, sup  at  nine,  and  at  half-past  nine  go  to  bed.  They  are 
not  permitted  to  go  out  of  the  establishment  except  on  Wed- 
nesdays, from  two  till  ten,  and  on  Sundays,  when  they  may  be 
absent  from  eight  in  the  morning  till  ten  at  night. 

Before  1830  they  possesse'd  a  church,  but  since  that  period 
have  had  none.  "  How  do  they  manage,"  said  I,  "  without 
one  ?" 

"  Oh  !"  replied  the  officer,  with  an  appropriate  shrug,  "  on 
n'y  va  pas  !"* 

"  So  much,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  for  abolishing  what  are 
termed  the  musty  evils  of  an  established  church." 

On  entering  the  "  Cabinet  de  Physique,"  I  saw  before  me 
all  sorts  of  philosophical  instruments,  with  an  electric  machine 
of  the  newest  description.  Among  them  were  several  tables, 
on  which  the  eleves  are  required  to  make,  as  well  as  to  witness, 
a  variety  of  experiments. 

In  the  "  salle"  of  fortification  and  artillery,  among  an  as- 
sortment of  shot,  shells,  models  of  fortresses  and  boats,  I  re* 

*  Why,  they  don't  go  to  one ! 


f 


il 


ECOLE  POLYTECIINIQUE. 


865 


marked  a  model  showing  the  modern  system  of  defenoe  adopted 
in  the  forts  lately  constructed  round  Paris ;  also  a  section  of 
the  new  musket  used  by  the  chasseurs  de  Yincennes,  which  is 
capable  of  producing  such  fearful  effects.  The  invention  prin- 
cipally consists  of  a  short  barrel,  containing  inside  a  flight  spi- 
ral groove,  down  which  is  forced,  instead  of  a  round  ball,  a 
piece  of  lead  cast  in  the  combined  form  of  a  cone  and  cylinder ; 
the  cylindrical  end  (in  the  lower  portion  of  which  there  exists 
a  small  iron  cup  or  thimble)  is  inserted  first.  At  the  extrem- 
ity  of  the  ramrod  is  a  conical  hole,  which,  exactly  fitting  that 
of  the  lead,  thrusts  it  down  without  compressing  it.  By  the 
force  of  the  discharge  the  iron  cup  expands  the  side  of  the  bul- 
let, which  entering  into  the  groove  of  the  barrel  receives  from 
it  a  rotary  motion,  and  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  ball,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  vacuum  in  its  rear,  being  well  forward,  its 
pointed  end  always  goes  foremost.  By  this  simple  alteration 
of  the  old  principle,  this  new  French  musket  has  a  range  of 
1000  yards,  equal  to  that  of  a  nine-pounder  camion  with  twcHi-; 
degrees  of  elevation.  .. 

In  the  department  of  Chemistry  I  found,  opening  into  ai 
yard  shaded  by  trees,  ten  small  laboratories,  in  each  of  which 
were  eight  furnaces,  with  two  eleves  working  at  each.  Adjoin- 
ing is  an  amphitheatre  of  chemistry,  capable  of  holding  300 
students,  composed  of  lofty  benches,  gradually  lowering  towards 
the  professor's  large  circular  table,  which  I  observed  covered 
with  the  objects  upon  which  he  was  lecturing.  Behind  him,  o%j 
the  wall  opposite  to  his  audience,  was  a  large  black  board,  and, 
in  a  room  adjoining,  laboratories,  in  which  we  found  his  assist- 
ants preparing  the  experiments  he  was  about  to  explain.  Af-,^ 
ter  passing  through  three  fencing-rooms,  in  which  several  of 
the  students  were  displaying  great  dexterity,  and  a  "  salle  de 
danse,"  empty  and  fiddleless,  I  came  to  eight  rooms,  each  con- 
taining a  pianoforte,  before  most  of  which  was  seated  a  profesn  i 
sor  in  rusty  clothes  playing :  behind  one.  looking  at  white 
music-paper  about  two  feet  from  his  nose,  was  standing  in  an 
easy  negligent  attitude,  with  eyes  and  mouth  wide  open,  a  stu- 
dent singing.  On  each  side  of  a  very  long  passage,  I  passed 
twenty-eight  "  salles  d'etude,"*  with  one  window  in  each.^ 
Above,  in  a  gallery  of  the  same  length,  were  ranged  the  black 
belts,  bayonetp.,  and  muskets  of  the  students,  who,  on  first  join- , 

.      .  *  Halls  of  study. 


366 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENOll  STICKS. 


ing  the  £oole,  are  exercised  for  three 'months  daily,  and  after 
that  twice  a  week  during  the  months  of  June  and  July  only.  • 

In  the  "  Cabinet  des  Modeles  d' Architecture"*  are  some 
very  beautiful  models  of  arches  of  various  descriptions,  stair- 
cases, steam-engines,  cranes,  also  of  an  ancient  temple.  After 
looking  into  two  amphitheatres  "  d'analise  physique,"!  I  passed 
through  two  small  gritty  "  yards  of  recreation,"  into  a  capital 
billiard-room,  adjoining  which  was  a  room  entitled  "  CoiflFeur," 
for  hair-cutting. 

I  now  proceeded  to  the  dormitories,  composed  of  fortyrtwo 
exceedingly  clean,  light,  airy  sleeping  apartments,  each  contain- 
ing from  seven  to  ten  iron  bedsteads,  with  neat  check  side-cur- 
tains. Above  every  white  pillow  there  hung  horizontally  a 
brass-handled  sword,  over  which  was  a  shelf  bearing  a  wooden 
cocked-hat  box. 

In  four  long  dining-halls,  surrounded  by  wooden  benches, 
were  five  marble  tables,  at  each  of  which  sat  from  eight  to  ten 
students,  and  in  the  middle  of  every  table,  instead  of  an  6pergne 
with  artificial  flowers,  &c.,  was  a  tin  circular  basin,  into  which 
the  students  as  they  were  eating  chucked  their  scraps.  In  the 
vestibule  were  three  cocks,  and  troughs  for  washing  dirty  hands 
and  hungry  faces.  The  kitchen,  which,  though  exceedingly 
small,  by  admirable  arrangements  was  quite  large  enough  for  _^ 
its  purpose,  contained  four  great  caldrons. 

I  was  now  led  to  the  penal  department,  consisting  of  four- 
teen prisons,  ten  feet  square,  containing  each  a  table,  a. stool, 
and  a  window  boarded  up  to  the  upper  panes.     In  tiaese  cells 
refractory  students  are  subjected  to  solitary  confinement  from  * 
four  to  a  period  not  exceeding  fifteen  days. 

In  a  detached  building  of  twelve  windows  in  front,  and 
three  stories  high,  is  the  infirmary,  or  hospital.  In  the  upper 
portion,  which  only  contained  six  patients,  I  was  conducted  in- 
to two  apartments,  with  one  floor,  if  possible,  more  dangerously 
slippery  than  the  other,  containing  in  shelvec  and  pigeon-holes 
"  lingerie,"  beautifully  clean  and  neat,  and  a  woman  as  clean, 
as  neat,  and  with  a  mind  as  strongly  imbued  with  soap,  as  the 
linen  over  which  she  presided.  She  told  me  with  great  pride 
that  every  pigeon-hole  (they  were  each  one  foot  ten  inohep  v 
square)  had  its  61eve — or,  rather,  said  she,  correcting  herself,  it  - 
contained  the  linen  of  ej,ch  61eve,  every  article  of  which,  she. 


*  Museum  of  architectural  models. 


f  Physical  onalyaia. 


\  y 


ECOLE  NATION  ALE  DES  FONTS  ET  CHAUSSEES.       367 

showed  me,  was  marked  with  his  number.  She  added,  they 
were  allowed  clean  sheets  once  a  fortnight  in  winter,  and  onoe 
in  three  weeks  during  summer. 

In  a  small,  gritty  entrance-yard  the  Aleves  receive  their 
friends,  who  are  not  allowed,  when  visiting  them,  to  enter  any 
farther.  Opposite,  but  within  the  walls  of  this  admirable,  use- 
ful, and  well-organised  establishment,  is  a  munificent  house, 
the  quarters  of  the  general  commanding. 

Twice  a  month,  by  order  of  the  Grovernment,  there  is  an 
inspection,  "  en  grande  tenue,"  of  the  general,  colonel,  captains, 
and  adjutants  ;  and  the  Aleves,  about  once  a  week  in  like  man- 
ner, are  inspected  by  the  general 

After  going  through  the  various  studies  I  have  enumerated 
a  certain  number  of  the  students  are  sent  to  the  Ecole  Nationalo 
des  Fonts  et  Chauss^es  to  pass  through  another  and  a  higher 
course  of  studies,  which  I  will  now  briefly  descride. 


■•  •  >■ 


fiCOLE  NATIONALE  DES  FONTS  ET 
CHAUSSfiES.* 


Above  my  head,  and  over  a  lofty  gate,  in  la  Rue  des  Saints 
Feres,  I  saw  drooping  and  dripping — for  it  was  raining  1\  ird — 
a  tricolor  flag,  and  under  it,  in  gold  letters, "  Ecole  Nat^^k  \le 
DES  Fonts  et  Chaussees."  On  each  side  was  injoiibe  i  xt.  iei- 
ters  of  black  paint — 

"  Fropri:iSt:iS  Nationals,  f 
LffiERTE,  FraternitiS,  Egalitje." 

After  passing  the  lodge  of  the  concierge,  and  crossing  a 
large  open  court,  I  ascended  by  a  small  staircase  to  the  room 
of  the  principal  inspector,  whom  I  found  ready  to  attend  me, 
and  who  informed  me — as  I  was  aware — that  ho  had,  through 
the  Director,  received  a  special  order  from  the  Minister  of  Fub- 
lio  Works  to  give  me  whatever  information  I  desired. 

Commencing  at  the  upper  story,  in  which  was  his  own 

*  National  School  for  Bridges  arifl  Roads, 
f  National  Proporty.  ,  „.„ ^„ 


366 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FEENCB  STICKS. 


apiartm^ttl  he  eonducted  me  to  »  passage,  m  whidi  are  eight  < 
snaall  rooiaa  of  study,  each  containing  ten  desks.  r 

Around  the  walls  of  every  room,  in  woo(ien  frames,  threes f 
feet  high,  covered  with  glass,  were  arranged  drawings  relating 
to  the  particular  course  of  study  of  each,  ia  order  that  the  stu-  "i 
d  ;nts,  when  not  otherwise  occupied,  might  have  an  opportunity  f 
of  regarding  them.  These  rooms  and  tbe  whole  establishment '(. 
are  warmed  by  hot  water  (iftot  steam),  according  to  the  system^  * 
now  generally  adopted  in  all  the  government  buildings  in  Paris. 

At  the  end  of  the  passage  we  came  to  a  door,  on  which  was  ' 
written  "  Office  de  Service."     Here  reside  two  retired  officers  ; 
of  artillery,  who  form  the  "  Police  "  of  the  establishment,  who'- 
restrain  any  irregularity,  and  who  thus  divest  the  professors 
and  director  of  all  responsibility  on  that  subject.     In  the  wall  ' 
is  a  "boite  aux  lettres,"  or  box  for  letters,  written  by  the  stu-  • 
dents,  all  of  which,  whether  for  the  pmrpose  of  science  or  ad^ ' 
dressed  merely  to  their  friends,  are,  as  an  indulgence,  franked 
to  their  respective  destinations  by  the  •'  Ministre  des  Travaux 
Publics."* 

On  public  occasions  the  eleves  wear  a  uniform,  slightly  em- 
broidered on  the  collar  ;  at  their  studies  they  may  dress  as  they 
like.  They  are,  however,  strictly  forbidden  to  wear  the  uniform 
of  the  Ecole  Poly  technique,  and  are  not  allowed  to  smoke  or 
play  at  cards. 

We  now  proceeded  to  a  vestibule  where  was  a  spacious  oak ; 
table,  from  the  middle  of  which  protrudt*'  and  arose  a  large  ^ 
stove.     In  the  adjoining  library — a  fine  solid  room,  containing 
16,000  volumes  and  3000  brochures,  warmed  by  two  stoves,  and 
having  at  one  end,  on  a  small  platform,  the  elevated  desk  of  the 
librarian — were  four  tables  covered  with  books  and  inkstands, 
lying  on  loose  green  cloth.     At  each  table  were  ten  chairs,  five 
on  each  side.     In  this  reading-room,  open  from  twelve  to  five 
and  from  seven  to  ten,  absolute  silence  must  prevail.     "  Le  si- 
lence le  plus  absolu  y  est  de  rigueur."     A  third  library  contains, 
in  cabinets,  lettered,  numbered,  and  closely  packed  in  shelves 
only  a  few  inches  asunder,  3000  valuable  drawings  of  railways, 
bridges  of  stone,  wood,  and  iron,  and  other  engineering  subjects. 
Attached  to  these  three  rooms  is  a  small  one,  a  peaceful  re< . 
treat  for  the  librarian. 

On  descending  to  the  ground  floor  I  entered  a  laboratory, 

*  Minister  of  Public  Works.  i 


ECOLE  NATIONALS  DBS  FONTS  ET  CHAVSSEES.       359 

in  which  twelve  students  at  a  time,  each  at  his  severely  burned 
table,  and  with  a  compartment  of  shelves  of  his  own,  covered 
with  bottles,  and  containing  his  '^  Pharmaoie,"  analyse  their 
limes,  cements,  ^c. 

I  was  now  led  into  a  very  handsome  stone  promenade,  com- 
municating with  a  small  and  a  large  amphitheatre.  In  the 
former  I  found  thirty  scholars,  on  benches,  One  above  another. 
In  front  of  them  was  a  large  black  board,  at  the  foot  of  which, 
in  an  elbow-chair,  before  a  rectangular  oak  table,  sat  the  pro- 
fessor. 

In  the  grand  amphitheatre,  which,  by  a  similar  arrangement, 
can  contain  two  hundred  students,  each  bench,  divided  into 
twelve  separate  seats,  is  numbered  in  front  by  a  brass  shining 
plate.  On  the  wall,  close  to  the  black  board,  hangs  in  a  glass 
case  a  tell-tale  list  of  the  names  of  the  occupiers  of  each  seat, 
so  that  the  professor,  without  moving  anything  but  his  head, 
or  without  a  word  of  inquiry,  can  by  a  glance  at  once  inform 
himself  of  the  name  of  any  one  who  disturbs  him.  Behind,  in 
the  small  private  room  of  the  professor,  I  found  a  similar  black 
board,  exactly  of  the  same  dimensions,  "pour  s'amuser."*  In 
these  amphitheatres,  besides  mathematical  and  geometrical 
demonstrations,  the  students  are  instructed  in  geology,  miney- 
alogy,  political  economy,  architecture,  surveying,  levelling,  irri- 
gation, draining,  the  construction  of  roads,  canals,  bridges,  and 
in  the  German  and  English  languages. 

On  opening  a  door  on  the  left,  over  which  was  inscribed 
"Galerie  des  Modeles,"t  I  entered  a  lofty  long  hall,  containing' 
models  of  machinery  of  almost  every  description,  of  different 
sorts  of  bridges,  li{;^'thouses,  of  the  principal  aqueducts  of 
France  and  of  foreign  countries,  also  plans  of  the  best  modes 
of  irrigation.  There  were  likewise,  admirably  arranged  and 
lighted,  fragments  of  the  most  important  portions  of  the  interior 
of  steam-engines :  among  these  I  observed  a  locomotive  engine, 
sawed  and  separated  into  two  pieces,  so  as  to  enable  the  stu- 
dents, as  it  were  by  dissection,  to  anatomise  the  reality  of  these 
powerful  bodies.  Adjoining  were  plans  explaining  the  con- 
struction of  atmospheric  railways ;  a  very  interesting  model  of 
the  "  Pont  au  double "  near  Notre  Dame  in  Paris,  which, 
although  of  a  span  of  1 15  yards,  with  a  rise  in  the  arch  of  only 


*  To  amuae  luruself  with. 
16* 


f  Grttllery  of  Models. 


*SP^" 


370 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FMENCH  STICKS. 


ten  feet,  is  composed  of  nothing  but  a  conglomeration  of  broken 
stones  and  cement. 

Among  the  drawings  are  some  showing  an  infinity  of  pur- 
posely confused  details,  exhibited  as  a  style  which,  instead  of 
being  imitated,  should  be  shunned.  I  here  inspected  a  variety 
of  plans,  elevations,  and  sections  by  the  students,  many  admi- 
rably and  beautifully  executed. 

JBeyond  this  interesting  gallerly  I  entered  one  devoted  en- 
tirely to  harbours  and  canals,  containing,  besides  various 
models  of  both,  dredging  machines,  bridges  of  boats,  &c. 
Above  i?  ^.  gailory  full  of  theodolites,  spirit-levels,  and  a 
variety  of  o'ber  mathematical  instruments,  the  cost  of  whic'a  in 
Paris  I  oV.;  orved  to  be  less  than  half  the  prices  in  Englp^.oi. 

J.ut'tjy  I  was  conducted  into  a  hall  full  of  specii^ions  of 
"  xni^/mXo^j  })reviou3  to  leaving  which  I  ascertained  from  the 
«.i^>er?oi'  thai^,  for  the  elucidation  of  the  details  I  had  witnessed, 
tl;  >re  aic  employed  fifteen  professors ;  that  the  Government 
lil  ?rallv  yy  efc«  to  each  student  150  francs  ?  month  during  the 
three  yes»ra  which  form  the  course  of  his  education  in  this 
valuable  establishment ;  besides  which,  there  exists  in  "  la 
Rue  des  Couiures  S'  Gervais"  a  private  one  on  a  similar 
plan,  entitled  "  Ecole  des  Arts  et  Manufactures,"*  for  the  edu- 
cation of  young  persons  (above  sixteen  years,  and  possessing  a 
certain  knowledge  of  algebra,  .geometry,  and  mathemetioal 
drawing)  who  are  desirous,  by  the  aid  of  science,  to  be  made 
competent  to  practise  as  civil  engineers,  as  builders,  or  as 
directors  of  factories. 


-♦-•-•- 


LES  CASERNESt 

As  the  momentum  or  force  wit)\  which  a  oannari  shot  strikes 
any  thing  that  opposes  its  progress  does  not  depend  solely  on 
its  weight,  or  solely  on  its  velocity,  but  on  the  product  of  both, 
BO  does  the  real  power  of  an  army  depend  not  solely  on  its 
numbers,  or  solely  on  its  military  knowledge,  but  on  the  com- 
bined powers  of  both ;  and  thus,  just  as  a  small  shot  can,  by 


*  Hchool  of  Ai'ta  and  Manufactures. 


f  The  barracks* 


LES  CASERNES. 


371 


?;reaier  velocity,  be. made  to  strike  a  heavier  blow  than  a  much 
arger  one  propelled  with  little  velocity,  it  is  evident  that, 
although  in  point  of  numbers  the  army  and  militia  in  Q-reat 
Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  Channel  Islands,  as  compared  with 
tiie  Garde  Nationale  and  army  of  France  and  Algeria,  are  in 
the  proportion  of  one  to  thirty-nine,  superior  acquirements  in 
the  smaller  body  might  compensate  for  its  deficiency  in  phy- 
sical force.  With  this  reasoning  in  my  mind,  I  felt  anxious, 
during  my  short  residence  in  Paris,  to  ascertain,  as  accurately 
as  I  could,  the  precise  point  of  military  knowledge  the  Frencn 
army  has  attained ;  and  yet,  although  in  Paris  almost  every 
tliing  belonging  to  the  public,  with  the  utmost  liberality,  is 
thrown  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  inhabitants  of  Paris  in 
general,  and  of  strangers  in  particular,  I  found  that  to  all 
ordinary  applications  to  visit  the  barracks  the  answer*  of  the 
general  commanding  invariably  was,  "  Persoune  n'est  permis 
de  visiter  les  casernes,"*  the  only  reason  being,  that  the  sol- 
diers, very  naturally  and  very  properly,  do  not  like  to  be 
treated,  as  they  say,  "  like  wild  beasts."  I  found  it  necessary, 
therefore,  to  obtain  a  special  order  from  the  Minister  at  War, 
authorizing  me  to  visit  the  various  military  institutions  within, 
and  in. the  neighbourhood  of,  Paris. 

With  it  in  my  pocket,  I  proceeded  towards  the  Ecole 
Mi^'taire ;  but  on  passing  the  entrance-gate  to  the  temporary 
barracks,  one  story  high,  for  7,000  men,  lately  constructed  on 
both  sides  of  the  Esplanade  des  Invalides,  I  determined  to 
test  the  validity  of  my  firman,  and  accordingly,  on  being 
stopped  by  the  sentinel  as  I  was  going  into  the  barrack-yard, 
I  told  him  I  wished  to  speak  to  the  commanding  officer.  To 
my  surprise,  he  informed  me  all  the  officers  lived  at  Paris,  and 
that  no  one  of  them  was  in  the  barracks  excepting  the  ad< 
jutant !  ' 

"  I  will,  then,"  said  I,  "  call  upon  him." 

"Non,  Monsieur!'  said  the  sentinel,  "personne  ne  peut 
entrer  !"t 

He  would,  however,  send  for  the  adjutant,  and  according./ 
the  Serjeant  of  the  guard,  whom  he  called,  despatched  one  of 
the  men  on  duty  to  the  quarters  of  this  officer,  who,  very 
shortly  coming  to  the  gate,  on  reading  my  order,  politely  told  ■ 


*  Nobody  is  allowed  to  visit  our  barrack  t 
I  No  sir]  nobody  is  allowed  to  enter! 


uff  WQ 


a7jj 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FJRENCB  STICKS. 


me  I  was  at  liberty  to  enter,  and  he,  moreqver,  deaired  one  4>f 
tjie  guard  to  take  me  wherever  I  wished.  «?if0  i^ni^Gt 

My  guide,  who  was  an  exceedingly  intelligent  fine  young 
Qoldier,  appeared,  before  I  had  said  half  a  dozen  words  to  him, 
to  understand  exactly  what  I  wanted,  and  accordingly  he  led 
me  into  a  barrack-room  (they  are  all  alike)  numbered  to  con- 
tain 108  men,  but  in  which  were  75  beds,  the  amount  of  men 
in  one  company.  On  entering  it  I  found  several  of  the  soldiers 
singing,  others  lying  on  their  beds  reading,  and,  as  I  walked 
ftmong  them,  looking,  possibly,  as  if  I  was  not  altogether  unac- 
customed to  them,  I  attracted  very  little  observation.  Bound 
the  room,  which  had  a  brick  floor^ — no  ceiling  but  the  rafters 
of  the  roof, — and  which  was  lighted  and  ventilated  longitudi- 
nally by  windows  on  both  sides, — were  arranged,  at  intervals 
of  18  inches  asunder,  a  series  of  iron  bedsteads,  for  each  of 
which,  on  a  slightly  inclined  plane,  18  inches  above  the  ground, 
were  supplied  a  straw  palliasse, — a  good  wool  mattress, — a 
straw  bolster, — a  wool  pillow, — a  blanket, — a  pair  of  sheets, 
changed  once  a  fortnight  in  summer,  and  three  weeks  in  win- 
ter,— and  over  all  a  neat  clean  counterpane  of  a  brownish-red 
colour.  During  the  day,  on  .every  alternate  bedstead,  is  placed 
two  sets  of  bedding,  and  thus  one  half  of  the  bedsteads  form 
soft  sofas  on  which  the  men  may  rest,  and  the  other  half  hard, 
healthy  ones,  on  which  they  may  sit.  Over  the  head  of  each 
bed  is  a  shelf  for  the  soldier's  kit,  including  a  round  tin  soup- 
pan,  with  cover,  holding  about  five  pints  English ;  beneath  a 
row  of  pegs  for  his  side-arms,  and  bag  for  his  brushes.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  range  of  beds,  every  here  and  there,  was  a 
stand  for  arms,  numbered  and  ticketed..  Opposite  to  the  door, 
at  the  end  of  the  room,  there  hung,  shining  like  burnished  gold, 
a  drum. 

On  asking  one  of  the  men  in  the  room  what  was  the  sum 
total  of  the  "  charge  "  or  weight  which  k  French  soldier  of  the 
Ipe  carried,  I  was  instantly  surrounded  by  a  quantity  of  com- 
rades in  mustachios,  who  appeared  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
explaining  to  me  that  it  was  nominally  60  lbs.  (French),  but  in 
reality  never  &o  much.  ''  The  musket  and  bayonet,"  said  one, 
"  weighs  from  9  lbs.  to  lOlbs  "  His  circle  of  comrades  nodded 
assent.  i 


our 


"  Our  knapsack  full,"  said  another^ "  from  20  lbs.  to  30  lbs.  j 
cooking  litensils  about  4  lbs.',    ^^   *,'«".     ,;t  <«• 


LES  CASEli::ES. 


a73 


^  I  asked  what  articles  the  knapsack  contained.  In  reply, 
several  voices  said,  "We  are  allowed  to  carry  what  we 
like!" 

"  For  instance"  ("  par  ezemple"),  said  one,  "we  may  oar*y 
two  or  three  pairs  of  pantaloons." 

The  knapsack,  however,  which  is  inspected  every  two  or 
three  months,  contains  usually  two  pairs  of  shoes,  one  pair  of 
drawers,  a  pair  of  pantaloons,  three  shirts,  two  collars,  two 
pairs  of  gloves,  two  pairs  of  white  gaiters,  three  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs, and  one  bonnet-de-nuit. 

"  What !"  said  I  with  a  smile,  "  does  a  French  soldier  re-' 
quire  a  nightcap  to  sleep  in  ?" 

"  Mais  oui  !"*  replied  several  voices. 

Passing  the  door  of  several  similar  rooms,  I  now  proceeded 
to  the  canteen,  open  from  day-break  till  half-past  nine  at  night. 
In  it  I  found  a  room  in  which,  at  one  small  table,  dine  the 
serjeant-major  and  Serjeants,  and  at  two  long  ones  the  remain- 
ing sous-ofl&ciers,  above  the  rank  of  corporals,  who  live  in  bar- 
racks with  the  men.  In  the  corner  were  neatly  arranged, 
on  a  small  counter,  glasses,  bottles  of  wine  and  spirits,  for 
sale. 

Every  regiment  of  1500  men  {i.  e.  three  battalions  of  500) 
is  allowed  to  have  four  cantiniers.  who,  as  they  require  female 
assistance,  must  be  married.  Four  washerwomen  are  also 
allowed  to  live  in  barracks ;  but  no  soldier  in  the  regiment 
is  allowed  to  marry,  unless  a  cantiniere  is  wanted.  I  asked 
my  guide  whether  it  was  the  case,  that,  beyond  the  number 
specified,  soldiers'  wives  were  not  recognised  ?  He  said  that 
in  military  law  they  were  not  recognised,  "  mais,"  he  added, 
with  a  shrug,  "  il  n'y  en  a  pas."t 

'•  What !"  said  I,  "  are  none  of  the  men  in  these  barracks 
for  6000  soldiers  married  V 

"  Not  one  !"  he  replied.  "  The  tambour-major,  the  maitre 
d'armes,  and  the  chef  de  ouisine,":|:  he  added,  correcting  him- 
self, "  may  marry,  but  no  one  else  !" 

In  each  regiment  of  1500  men  about  fifteen  hoys^  of  two 
years  of  age,  are,  as  "  children  of  the  regiment,"  allowed  the 
same  rations  as  soldiers,  until  they  are  eighteen  years  of  age, 


*  Oh  yea!  t  ^^t  there  are  none. 

%  Dram-major,  fendsg^master,  and  chief  cook. 


374 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENOH  STICKS. 


when  tliey  may  enlist  or  depart,  as  they  may  prefer ;  but  no 
girls  of  any  age  whatever  are  admitted  into  barracks. 

In  the  kitchen,  a  hall,  lighted  and  ventilated  on  three 
sides  by  windows,  and  paved  with  round  stones  like  those  of 
a  pav6, 1  found  one  hot  plate,  14  feet  long  by  3  feet  4  in. 
broad,  containing  eighl.  semi-elliptical  ''  marmites,"  or  cop- 
pers, 2  feet  by  1  foot  5  in. ;  each  of  which,  I  was  astonished 
to  learn,  couked  for  a  company  of  from  seventy-five  to  ninety 
men  !  Bound  the  room  was  a  table,  or  dresser,  of  the  ordi- 
nary height,  2  feet  6  in.  broad,  and  above  it  a  shelf  1  foot 
broad.  On  the  former  were  lying,  in  heaps,  bread  for  soup, 
cut  into  slices,  and  basins  of  white  beans.  On  the  ground 
tubs  of  cabbages,  with  a  few  potatoes.  The  meals  of  each 
company  are  prepared  by  two  of  its  soldiers,  changed  every 
day ;  and  the  French  army  is  thus  composed  of  regiments, 
not  orly  of  soldiers^  but  of  professed  cooks. 

The  ration  of  the  French  soldier  consists  of  a  loaf  of  3  lbs. 
for  two  days  ;  \  lb.  of  meat  per  day,  eaten  at  two  meals  of 
\  lb.  each,  morning  and  evening ;  ^  lb.  of  white  long  bread 
for  soup ;  one  to  two  sous  worth  of  vegetables ;  and  lastly 
the  soup  in  which  the  meat  is  boiled. 

"  How  much  wine  have  you?"  said  I  to  my  young  guide. 

"  None  !'•  he  re  .lied,  with  a  toss  of  his  head,  "  a  la  fou 
taine  !"*  adding,  "  in  summer,  when  it  is  very  hot,  we  are  al- 
lowed one  small  glass  of  wine  per  day." 
'  "  Has  the  soldier  any  other  allowance  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh  yes  !"  he  replied,  with  a  grin.  "  He  has  '  en  pro- 
yinoe'  one  sou,  and  in  Paris  two  sous  per  day,  pour  B'amuser."t 

"  Happy  the  soldier  that  lives  on  his  pay  1" 

'  We  now  proceeded  into  a  small  fenelng-room,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  which  were  sunk  into  the  ground  three  broad  boards, 
separated  by  wooden  platforms,  which,  in  fact,  were  the  re- 
mainder of  the  floor.  Upon  these  three  sunken  boards,  in 
constant  succession,  three  privates  in  masks  were  learning  thd 
use  of  the  sword  under  an  experienced  maltre  d'armes,  as- 
sisted in  each  regiment  by  six  pr6v6ts,  who,  besides  being  ex- 
empt from  all  other  dutie^s,  receive  from  the  maltre  "  quelque 


*  We  go  to  the  pump! 


f  To  amuse  ourselves  witii. 


.         ■'[- 


LKS  OASEJiAJiS. 


375 


ohose.  "*  CloBO  to  this  "  salle  d'armes"  were  the  boarded-up 
windows  of  a  prison,  in  which,  as  there  is  no  bed,  the  inmates 
sleep,  from  two  nights  to  a  month,  on  the  floor.  Adjoining  is 
a  "  salle  de  police,"  containing  palliasses  on  the  floor,  in 
which  men  are  confined  two  months,  or  more. 

On  returning  to  the  end  of  the  barracks  at  which  I  had 
entered,  I  found  a  range  of  offices,  superscribed  as  loUows  : — 
"  Salle  de  Rapport  et  Accessoires"  (for  the  colonel  and  adju- 
tant) ;  "  Corps  de  Garde,  et  Salles  de  Police"  (adjutant  and 
sous-officiers  sleep  here) ;  "  Compagnies  hors  Rang"  (soldiers' 
tailors  and  shoemakers,  very  badly  paid) ;  "  Sorgents-ma- 
jors  et  Fourriers."  (There  is  one  sergeant-majo  ''^r  ^ach 
company;  the  "fourrier"  ranks  between  him  a  Aie  ser- 
geant.) 

In  these  temporary  barracks  there  were,  at  the  moment  I 
visited  thera,  5500  men,  forming  four  regiments,  namely : — 

Two  battalions  of  chasseurs  a  pied. 

Two  regiments  of  the  line,  composed  of  very  young  sol- 
diers. 

In  France  men  are  drawn  by  the  conscription  at  twenty, 
and  become  soldiers  at  twenty-one.  Volunteers,  formerly 
allowed  to  enter  at  eighteen,  are  now  received  at  seventeen. 
My  intelligent  guide  was  a  volunteer  of  nineteen. 

On  leaving  him,  passing  round  two  sides  of  the  H6tel  des 
Invalides,  I  proceeded  along  the  Avenue  Lowendal  to  the 
Place  de  Fontenoy,  in  which  is  the  principal  iron-railed  en- 
trance gate  of  the  Ecole  Militaire,  founded  by  Louis  XV. ^ 
for  the  education  principally  of  the  sons  of  officers  killed  in 
action:  transformed  into  barracks  in  1789;  afterwards  used 
as  the  headquarters  of  Napoleon  ;  and  now  again  become  the 
principal  of  the  forty  casernes,  which  in  Paris,  even  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  palace  of  the  President,  are  in 
every  direction  to  be  found  swarming  alive  with  soldiers. 

On  being  stopped  by  the  sentinel  I  told  him  I  wantad  to 
see  the  commandant.  The  matter  was  referred  to  the  ser- 
geant, who  informed  me  that  one  of  his  guard  must  accom- 
pany me,  and,  accordingly,  I  found  myself  walking  with  a 
soldier  by  my  side  across  a  spacious  esplanade  towards  the 
quarters  of  the  general.     In  a  sort  of  corridor  I  passed  two 


I 


*  A  trifle  besides. 


^*.,^l  vi«.jy.  y  1.^^^     'LHJH'-.* 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


%o 


:/. 


w 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


rM 


Ki 


2.2 


mm 


-    6" 


Mtat. 

1.4    11.6 


% 


'*y    v^* 


v: 


/^ 


w^^ 


'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRIIT 

WnSTM.N.Y.  MStO 

(716)  S73-4S03 


^*.'^\^'^ 

^1*!i> 

^ 


l^fH/fM*^* 


376 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


sbMieiii,  %ith  long  mlistaohios  and  in  uniform,  sitting  astride 
a  bench  and  playing  at  draughts  with  bits  of  stone  of  differ- 
eiit  colours,  over  which,  with  their  chains  resting  on  their 
hands,  they  were  reflecting  as  deeply  as  if  they  were  at  chess. 
On  arriving  at  the  Q^eneral's  house,  the  door  was  opened  by 
a  soldier,  who  conducted  me  to  another  private,  with  mus- 
t'achios  and  dress  exactly  like  him,  who  was  writing,  and 
who  told  me  the  General  was  in  Paris,  and  he  wanted  me  to 
take  my  order  there  to  him  :  however,  after  he  had  read  it, 
he  carried  it  away  with  him  into  another  room,  and  after  a 
short  absence  returned,  and  told  the  soldier  of  the  guard 
who  had  brou^t  me  he  was  to  accompany  me  wherever  I 
wished. 

"  And  where  would  you  like  to  go  ?"  said  my  attendant, 
t^  sooti  as  we  got  outside  the  door. 

I  told  him  I  did  not  at  all  know ;  that  I  wanted  to  see 
the  casernes,  &c. ;  and  that,  as  he  understood  what  they  con- 
tained infinitely  better  than  I  did,  I  would  follow  him. 

"  Bien,  Monsieur !"  replied  the  soldier,  with  a  look  not 
only  of  great  intelligence,  but  of  apparent  satisfaction  at  the 
confidence  I  had  reposed  in  him ;  and  stepping  suddenly  for- 
wards as  if  I  had  pronounced  to  him  the  word  "  March !"  he 
led  me  up  a  handsome  staircase  into  a  noble  apartment,  from 
which  we  walked  out  upon  a  sort  of  spacious  balcony,  beneath 
a  projecting  portico,  formed  bj  four  lofty  Corinthian  co- 
lumns, supporting  a  pediment,  richly  sculptured.  From  this 
exalted  position,  which  I  could  not  help  recollecting  had  re. 
peatedly  been  occupied  by  Napoleon,  we  had  a  most  magni- 
ficent view  of  the  Champ  de  Marl,  a  plain  of  sand,  bounded 
on  the  east  and  west  by  avenues  of  trees,  on  the  south  by  the 
Ecole  Militaire,  in  which  I  stood,  and  on  the  north  by  the 
bridge  of  I6na,  and  the  Seine.  £ 

After  reflecting  for  some  little  time  on  the  various  import* 
ftnt  scenes  which  had  occurred  on  the  great  open  space  before 
me,  we  retired  into  the  "  Salle  de  Conseil,"  and  other  apart- 
ments, the  past  and  present  appearance  of  which  also  form- 
ed a  striking  contrast.  On  the  lofty  walls,  as  hatchments  or 
memorials  of  departed  grandeur,  appeared  immense  gold 
frames,  richly  ornamented,  but  empty ;  the  pictures  they  hdd 
contained  were  all  gone,  and  the  floor,  composed  of  oak,  beau- 
tifully dovetailed,  was  liberally  strewed  with  dust  and  dirt. 


LES  CASERNES. 


3rr 


'  As  we  Were  descending  the  staircase,  my  guide  explained 
ib  me  that  the  casernes  of  the  Ecole  Militaire,  capable  of 
holding  10,000  men,  at  present  contained  only  five  regimentS) 
namely, — 

One  of  hussars ; 

The  56th  and  4 1  st  of  the  line ; 

One  of  chasseurs  h.  pied  ;  ' 

And  the  3rd  regiment  of  artillery : 

Forming  a  total  of  4356  men. 

He  then  conducted  me  through  two  magnificent  barrack 
squares,  690  feet  long,  separated  from  each  other  only  by  an 
iron  railing.  In  one  were  several  hundred  soldiers  (all  very 
young)  listening  to  the  soft,  pure,  beautiful  music  of  their 
band. 

The  barrack-rooms,  although  of  different  sizes,  wc^re  much 
smaller  than  those  I  had  seen  in  the  morning.  On  entering 
one,  I  found  in  it,  neatly  arranged  around  the  room,  nineteen 
iron  bedsteads,  13  inches  asunder.  Upon  them  were  three 
boards,  altogether  2  feet  2^  in.  broad,  and  6  feet  3  in.  in  length, 
supporting  the  same  amount  of  bedding  I  had  found  in  the 
temporary  barracks,  with  a  counterpane,  dark  drab,  with  a 
yellow  border.  Above  each  bed,  on  a  high  shelf,  there  ap- 
peared the  soldier's  cap  and  knapsack ;  on  another,  beneath, 
Were^  neatly  folded,  two  pairs  of  scarlet  trousers,  a  uniform 
coat,  and,  as  ornaments  at  each  side,  a  yellow  epaulette ;  be- 
low the  whole  were  eight  iron  cramps,  for  holding  bayonet, 
cartouch-boz,  &o.  The  nineteen  muskets  were  on  a  stand 
near  the  door.  I  took  up  one;  the  movement  of  the  lock 
was  excellent.  In  the  middle  of  the  room,  suspended  from 
the  ceiling,  was  a  tray  full  of  loaves  of  bread.  In  every  room 
is  constantly  a<man  to  watch  it.  Outside  each  door  was 
affixed  a  list  of  the  inmates,  in  the  long  passages  communis 
<»ting  with  the  several  rooms,  all  the  windows  were  open. 

As  the  arrangements  in  the  rooms  of  the  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry are  exactly  alike,  my  guide  now  led  me  to  a  magnificent 
stable,  245  yards  (25  yards  more  than  one-eighth  of  a  mile) 
long,  full  of  horses,  separated  from  each  other  oy  bails  a  little 
Idgher  than  their  hocks,  and  from  which  hung  a  matting  of 
straw.  The  horses  stood  on  clean  litter,  and  the  ventilation' 
was  so  perfect  that  no  smell  was  perceptible.  Over  each  rack 
was  a£^ed  the  name  and  number  of  the  quadruped,  and  the 


378 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


name  of  its  rider,  besides  which  the  number  of  each  ho^se 
was  oat  on  his  fore  foot.  On  his  near  thigh  was  branded  the 
number  of  his  regiment,  with  the  letter  H,  signifying  ''  Hus- 
sar." I  may  here  add,  that  every  article  of  the  soldier's 
dress — shirt,  stockings,  stock,  braces^  &o. — is  stamped  with 
his  number.  Excepting  with  the  army  at  Algiers,  there  are 
no  entire  horses  in  the  French  cavalry. 

The  horses  are  fed  at  six  in  the  morning,  at  eleven,  and  at 
eight  at  night  in  summer,  and  half-past  six  in  winter.  Those 
of  the  hussar  regiment  were  very  small.  In  a  large  yard  I 
found  a  rectangular  bath,  60  yards  long  by  40  broad,  sur- 
rounded by  a  low  wall,  and  bounded  on  the  outside  b^  a  paved 
walk,  along  which  the  soldiers,  who  were  swimming  their 
horses  by  the  halters,  walked.  In  hot  weather,  this  cheap, 
sensible,  and  cleanly  operation  is  usually  performed  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  evenmg.  Lame  horses,  I  was  informed,  derive 
much  benefit  by  standing  up  to  their  chests  for  some  hours  in 
this  bath.  As  I  was  leaving  the  yard,  I  stopped  to  listen  to  a 
number  of  fine,  manly  voices,  most  joyously  singing  together 
in  chorus. 

"  Ce  n'est  rien !"  *  said  my  guide.  "  It  is  only  the  soldiers 
in  prison  !"  I  could  not,  however,  help  thinking  what  a  de- 
lightful contrast  it  was  to  Sterne's  captive,  sitting,  with  a  rusty 
nail  "  notching  a  little  calendar  of  small  sticks  all  over  with 
the  dismal  days  and  nights  he  had  passed  there." 

In  the  middle  of  one  of  the  barrack  squares,  in  the  open 
air,  surrounded  by  a  narrow  earthen  parapet,  three  feet  high, 
was  a  circular  manege,  twenty-two  yards  in  diameter,  for  ex- 
ercising horses  and  for  horsemanship. 

My  guide  now  led  me  into  a  kitchen  for  twelve  companies 
(averaging  eighty  men  each),  in  which,  as  usu{d,  most  admira- 
bly arranged,  within  the  narrow  space  of  twenty-two  feet 
square,  I  observed  twelve  semicircular  '^  marmites"  or  coppers, 
over  which  were  an  iron  shade  and  funnel  for  carrying  away 
the  steam:  there  was  consequently  no  unpleasant  smell  or 
heat.     The  fires  were  of  wood. 

In  a  yard  adjoining  I  found,  in  scarlet  trousers,  a  number 
of  hussars,  in  various  attitudes,  leaning  over  stone  cisterns,  in 
which  they  were  washing  their  own  wMte  cotton  gloves,  stopk- 


^  It  IB  nothing  I 


Ssi 


^ES  CASERNES. 


379 


ings,  handkerchiefs,  and  drawers,  to  save  themselves  from  the 
regimental  charges,  which  are  as  follows : — 

Two  sous  a  week  for  washing  one  shirt ;  for  a  pair  of  draw- 
ers two  sous  more ;  gloves,  a  sou  a  pair. 

"  If  a  handkerchief,"  said  my  young  guide,  "  is  tied  to  a 
shirt,  it  is  allowed — as  a  point  of  honour — to  pass  as  its  tail, 
and,  accordingly,  no  charge  is  made  for  it;  but,"  he  added 
with  a  good-humored  smile,  and  a  twist  at  his  mustachios, 
"  very  few  of  us  possess  handkerchiefs  I" 

My  conductor  now  led  me  to  a  door,  on  entering  which, 
much  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  before  me  five  handsome  pier 
glasses,  and  eleven  marble  tables,  at  one  of  %hich  was  sitting  a 
fine-looking  sergeant  of  hussars,  smoking;  at  others,  several 
soldiers  of  the  line  playing  at  cards.  Adjoining  to  this  "  caf6" 
was  a  small  shop,  selling  tobacco,  brushes, — ^in  short,  all  the 
little  things  in  this  world  that  a  soldier  wants. 

After  passing  through  a  large  park  of  artillery  and  of  pon- 
toons, I  entered  the  gymnasium  of  the  Ecole  Militaire,  a  large 
open  court,  containing,  besides  all  sorts  of  strange-looking 
hieroglyphics,  a  long,  lofty  gibbet,  with  a  ladder  at  each  end, 
communicating  with  the  beam,  from  which  were  hanging  four- 
teen ropes;  up  which  soldiers  were  hauling  themselves  until 
they  approached  the  beam,  beneath  whitsh  they  proceeded  hori- 
zontally by  unhooking  the  fourteen  ropes  from  one  set  of 
rings  to  another.  In  another  direction,  one  or  two  soldiers 
were  ascending  the  lofty  wall  that  surrounded  the  court  by 
inserting  the  points  of  their  fingers  and  toes  into  slight  crev- 
ices that  had  been  purposely  made  by  the  abstraction  of  the 
mortar.  In  front  of  another  part  of  the  wall  men  were  vibrat- 
ing, or  swinging,  by  means  of  ropes  attached  to  the  summit. 
In  the  centre,  under  the  command  of  two  officers  on  duty, 
several  men  were  performing  feats  which  really  astonished  me. 
Some,  with  great  agility  and  in  various  ways,  vrulted  on  and 
over  a  sort  of  wooden  horse ;  others,  kneeling  on  it,  turned 
over  in  the  air  like  mountebanks.  In  another  direction,  on  a 
pole  about  six  feet  from  the  ground,  was  seated  a  soldier,  who, 
without  touching  it  with  his  hand,  raised  his  foot  up  to  it,  and 
then  rose  up.  From  a  small  movable  scaffolding,  eight  feet 
high,  several  soldiers  sprang  forwards  and  then  backwards  on 
>^  lump  of  loose  sand  beneath.  Two  or  three  jumped  in  this 
way  from  the  top  of  the  gibbet,  fourteen  feet  high.    Just  be- 


880< 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


fore  I  entered  this  gymnasium  for  the  second  time,  I  had  1iap< ' 
pened — within  the  Eoole  Militaire-~to  meet  Colonel  Wood, 
stho  so  gallantly  distinguished  himself  in  India  on  I^ord  Har- 
dinge's  staff;  and  as  we  evidently  took  much  interest  in  the 
feats  we  were  witnessing,  the  two  oncers  on  duty  called  to- 
gether a  number  of  the  men.  Eight  were  made  to  stoop,  with 
their  shoulders  resting  against  each  other,  and,  while  they  were 
in  this  position,  three  or  four  of  their  comrades,  one  after  an- 
other, running  quickly  along  a  spring  board,  not  only  jumped 
over  them,  but,  making  a  summerset  in  the  air,  landed  very 
cleverly  on  their  feet,  and  the  officers,  seeing  we  were  some- 
what astonished,  increased  the  number  of  stoopers  from  eight 
to  fourteen,  over  the  whole  of  whom  two  or  three  men,  follow- 
ing each  other  in  quick  succession,  making  a  summerset  in  the 
air,  and  landing  lightly  on  their  feet,  ran  on  as  if  no  such 
parenthesis  in  their  lives  had  occurred.  From  one  of  the 
officers  I  ascertained  that  all  the  soldiers  under  thirty  years 
of  age  within  the  Ecole  Militaire  were  required  to  perform 
gymnastic  exercises  twice  a  week  for  two  hours  at  a  time ;  but 
that  after  the  iige  mentioned  their  attendance  ceased  to  be 
compulsory. 

Having  now  rapidly  passed  through  the  largest  of  the 
permanent  and  temporary  oarracks  in  Paris,  I  determined,  as 
the  next  step  in  my  inquiry,  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  edu- 
cation given  by /France  to  candidates  for  commissions  in  Ker 
army. 


■••■»' 


b'COLB  SPlSCIALB  MILITAIRE  DB  ST.  CYR. 

From  Yersailles  there  runs  a  fine  new,  straight,  glistening 
railway  to  St.  Oyr ;  but  I  had  just  come  from  Paris  to  the  for- 
mer place  by  rail,  and  therefore  preferred,  as  a  change,  pro- 
ceeding by  road.  Accordingly,  clambering  to  the  top  of  a  'bus, 
which,  poor  little  thing,  was  working  in  opposition  to  the  St. 
Cyr  railway,  I.  sat  looking  at  the  pair  of  small  punohy  whijbe 
horses  that  belonged  to  it,  until,  there  proving  to  be  no  other 
passengers  from  the  train,  the  coachman  mounted  beside  me, 
and  ,on  we  all  tottled. 


OOLE  SPECIALS  MILITAIRE  DE  ST.  CTB. 


381 


The  saddle-pads  had  been  born  red ;  but  as  the  rest  of  the 
harness,  which  was  equally  old,  was  blaokish,  and  the  reins 
whitish,  I  asked  the  driver  what  was  the  rtjcison  of  these  differ- 
ences. He  told  me  that  the  white  untanned  leather  of  France, 
from  its  strength,  is  excellent  for  reins,  but  that,  as  "  transpi- 
ration"— called  at  a  London  city-ball  "^perspiration"— ♦decom- 
poses it,  black  leather  is  infinitely  better  for  the  back-bands, 
traces,  and  breeching. 

With  a  long  whip  my  companion  was  continually  threaten- 
ing rather  than  striking  his  horses  ;  but  as  it  was  evidently 
out  of  their  power  to  go  beyond  the  first  rudiments  of 'a  trot, 
his  interminable  conversation  to  me  all  the  way  to  St.  Cyr 
(two  or  three  leagues)  was  about  once  every  ten  seconds  inter- 
larded by  three  exceedingly  long,  but  distinctly  different, 
drawling  exclamations,  which  in  writing  can  only  very  imper- 
fectly be  described  as  follows  (N.  B.  The  vowels  must  bo 
pronounced  in  French  patois) : — 

A    ....««;  a i]    u    .    .    .    ,    i. 

To  tell  the  truth,  the  latter  was  almost  invariably  followed 
very  quickly  by  "Ore!  ore!"  by  "  Saore  oochon!"  "Sacra 
matin !"  and,  although  the  horses  were,  as  I  have  distinctly 
stated,  milk-white,  by  "  Sacre  bleu  /" 

"  VoilA  qu'ils  se  reposent  jusqu'au  chien  !"*  said  he  to  me, 
pointing  with  his  chin  to  a  poor  man,  a  poor  wife,  three  poor 
children,  and  a  lean  dog,  who,  lying  on  their  backs,  sides,  or 
curled  in  a  ring,  were  all  six  fast  asleep  by  the  road-side. 

As  we  were  jogging  along  I  observed  on  my  right  a  series 
of  grass  parks,  separated  from  each  other  by  high  palings,  in 
each  of  which  were  a  thorough-bred  mare  and  foal.  They 
were  the  government  parks  for  breeding  horses. 

"  O'est  nne  jument  I^rlandaise  l"t  said  my  comrade,  pointing 
to  a  fine-looking  mare.  About  100  yards  farther  he  pointed 
out  to  me  with  his  whip  an  English  mare,  which,  he  said — so 
like  an  English  mother-j-would  not  allow  man  or  animal  to 
come  near  her  foal. 

On  arriving  at  our  destination,  I  walked  towards  the  mag- 
nificent buildings  and  extensive  lands  I  had  come  to  visit. 

In  the  year  1686  Madame  de  Maintenon  prevailed  upon 
Louis  XI V.  to  found,  in  the  obscure  little  village  of  St.  Cyr, 

*  Look  at  'em  nil  resting  themBelvea— down  to  the  very  dog !    j 
f  Thut'd  an  Irish  mare. 


fjgmn.Mm^t-'!'- 


382 


A  FAOQOT  OF  FBEIWH  STICKS. 


for  the  education  of  250  noble  young  ladies,  the  celebrated 
Maieon  de  St.  Cyr,  to  which,  on  the  death  of  the  King,  she 
herself  retired,  and  in  which,  in  1719,  she  actually  died.  In 
the  revolution  of  1793  this  female  establishment  was  converted 
into  an  hospital  for  soldiers,  in  which  capacity  it  continued  to 
be  used  until  1805,  when,  by  a  second  transmigration,  Madame 
de  Maintenon's  establishment  for  young  ladies  was  converted 
by  Napoleon  into  "  I'Ecole  Sp^ciale  Militaire  de  St.  Cyr,"  to 
which  were  immediately  removed  the  young  students  of  the 
military  school  of  Fontainebleau. 

On  producing  my  order  of  admission  to  the  officer  com- 
manding, he  was  good  enough  to  accompany  me  over  a  portion 
of  the  establishment,  and  to  order  one  of  the  captains  to  take 
me  to  the  remainder,  and,  moreover,  to  give  me  copies  of  vari- 
ous lithographed  papers  he  had  shown  to  me. 

The  precautions  which  the  French  nation,  under  every 
description  of  government,  and  under  every  species  of  adver- 
sity, political  or  pecuniary,  take  to  provide  their  army  with  offi- 
cers competent  to  command,  are  very  remarkable. 

The  commandant  of  the  establishment  of  St.  Cyr  told  me 
he  had  at  present  under  his  charge  500  young  men,  who,  as 
candidates  for  commissions  in  the  line,  had  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  engaged  themselves  to  serve  for  seven  years,  if  requi- 
site, as  private  soldiers ;  that  during  their  residence  it  had 
been  customary  for  them  to  pay  for  their  education,  &c.  1000 
francs  a  year,  with  a  trousseau  (bounty)  of  500  francs  for  the 
two  years,  the  usual  period  of  their  course  of  study ;  that  it 
had  lately  been  recommended  in  the  National  Assembly  they 
should  be  educated  gratis ;  but  that,  although  that  proposal 
had  for  the  present  been  rejected,  several,  in  consequence  of 
certificates,  had  lately  been  allowed  to  pay  only  half  the  sums 
named,  and  a  few  nothing. 

If  they  conduct  themselves  well,  and  succeed  in  passing 
their  examinations  in  the  course  of  two  years,  they  are  pre- 
sented with  the  commission  of  sous-lieutenant  of  cavalry,  or  of 
the  line.  If  the  former,  they  are  required  to  go  for  two  years 
more  to  the  military  establishment  at  Saumur;  if  the  latter, 
they  are  ordered  at  once  to  join  their  respective  regiments. 
If,  during  their  residence  at  St.  Cyr,  they  misbehave,  for  slight 
misdemeanours  they  are  either  drilled  during  the  hours  of 
recreation  in  heavy  marching  order,  or  are  put  under  the  po- 


ECOLE  SPECIALE  MILITAISE  DL  ST.  C7R. 


883 


lioe ;  for  heayier  offences  they  are  sent  to  the  military  prison 
at  Paris,  where  they  are  treated  exactly  as  soldiers ;  and  if 
they  fail  altogether  to  attend  to  their  studies,  they  are  des« 
patched  as  privates  to  a  regiment  in  any  situation.  Without 
permission  of  the  general,  granted  only  in  extreme  oases,  no 
friends  or  even  parents  of  the  dldyes  can  see  them,  except  on 
Sundays,  from  twelve  to  two ;  but,  twice  a  month,  if  all  their 
'vrork  is  well  done,  they  are  allowed  a  holiday,  from  9  in  the 
morning  till  9  at  night,  but  never  to  sleep  out. 

A&  the  number  of  young  men  averages  from  600  to  600, 
and  as  tbeir  (course  of  education  usually  occupies  two  years, 
there  axe  annually  poured  into  the  army  from  250  to  300  oflBi- 
oers,  as  foUowK: — 

Of  those  who  ha^e  moe*  dislioguiahed  themselves  there  are  yearly 
sent  to  the  Ecole  d'Etat  Major,  to  go  through  the  whole  course  of 
that  establishment  (^hich  ^Ul  shortly  be  described),  about  20 

To  the  military  establishment  at  Saumur,  to  go  through  the  Cavalry 
course  of  education,  as  th«>rein  ptflscriloed,  about  .  .        60 

To  officer  regiments  of  the  Linft        .  .,  , 

Total,  frwm  260to  800. 


firom  180  to  280 


Besides  the  practical  education  which  will  briefly  be  delin- 
eated, the  young  soldiers  of  St.  Cyit  are  theoretically  instruct- 
ed in  tho  art  of  war,  legislative  administration,  toj^ography,  forti- 
fication, descriptive  geometry,  mathematics,  geography  and  his- 
tory, natural  philosophy,  mechanics,  chemistry,  and  drawing. 

The  following  list  of  officers  and  professors,  &c.,  will  clear- 
ly show  the  extraordinary  pecuniary  efforts  which  the  French 
nation,  however  low  may  be  its  finances,  make  to  iropart  to 
candidates  for  commissions  in  their  army  a  competcio  know- 
ledge of  the  art  of  war : — 


Military. 


General  of  Brigade,  Oommandant. 

Colonel,  Commandant  en  Second. 

Colonel,  Director  of  the  Studies. 

Chef  de  Bataillon,  commanding  the  battalion. 

Captains,  Assistant-Directors  of  the  Studies. 

Captains,  commanding  the  four  divisions,  each  composed 
of  two  companies  (or  of  one  eighth  of  the  effective  of  the 
whole). 


1 
1 
1 
1 
2 
4 


■fff^«^'JHS^t9---r'*'- 


864 


I  A. 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


8  LieutenantB,  oommandiDg  oompaniea 
8  SouB-LieutenantA. 
1  Chef  d'Esoadron  of  ^ 

Artillery  >  For  the  instraotion  of  Artillery. 

1  Captain        ditto     ) 

1  Oaptain  of  EnffiDoerg  >  For  the  instruotion  of  Fortifica* 

2  Lieutenants     ditto      \  tion,  &o. 

1  Oaptain  of  Engineers  >  For  the  instruction  of  the  'VAf< 

2  Lieutenants     do.        \  Militaire." 
1  Captain  of  the  Corps  d'Etat  ^ 

Major  >  Topography.  ,. 

1  Lieutenant  ditto  } 

1  M^deoin  Militaire. 


,r 


./' 


Civil. 


,/ 


2  Surgeons ;  1  Director  of  the  Sfludics  (an  officer  of  Engi- 
neers, of  the  rank  of  Chef  de  JBatailJon) ;  1  professor  of  His- 
tory ;  1  Assistant  dittos  1  Professor  of  Geography ;  1  Assis- 
tant ditto;  1  Professor  of  German;  2  Assistant  ditto;  2 
Professors  of  Mathematics ;  4  Assistant  ditto ;  3  Professors 
of  Drawing ;  1  Professor  6f  Belles  Lettres ;  1  Professor  of 
"Physique;"  2  AsBistan*  ditto;  1  Professor  of  Mechanics ; 
2  Assistant  ditto  ;   1  Professor  of  Chemistry ;  2  Assistant 

ditto. 

The  buildings  of  St.  Cyr  are  composed  of  an  entrance 
«  cour  iongue,"  or  long,  lofty,  covered  promenade,  parallel  to 
and  within  which  are  three  handsome  courts,  named  Cour 
d'AuBterlitz,  Oour  de  Marenso,  Cour  de  Rivoli,  running  oon- 
8e<iutivelv  east  and  west,  each  surrounded  by  buildings  two 
stories  high ;  beyond  them  is  a  narrow  fourth  court,  of  a  less 
glorious  but  more  useful  name,  called  Cour  de  Cuisine.*  Of 
these  buildings  those  of  the  Cour  de  Bivoli  are  occupied  solely 
by  employes. 

In  proceeding  over  the  establishment  I  was  conducted  first 
into  an  amphitheatre,  large  enough  to  hold  two  companies, 
containing  i^oflels  of  the  different  systems .  of  fortification. 
At  one  etd,  opposite  the  benches  on  which  the  young  oan^i- 
i4ates  for  commissions  in  the  Line,  one  above  another,  were  (fit- 
ting, was  a  Professor  and  an  assistant,  demonstrating  with 


*  Kitchen  Court 


•:f" 


ECOLE  SPECIALE  MlLITAJItE  DE  ST.  CTR. 


?85 


wUte  ohalk  on  a  black  board  the  mode  of  Attacking  a  fortifiea 
place  j  adjoining  was  an  ampbitheatre  of  chemistry,  amplj 
supplied  with  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  capable  of  h<Hd- 
ing  300  students. 

In  three  magnificent  loft^  halls,  lighted  at  both  ends,  I 
found — surrounded  by  a  variety  of  yery  beautiful  models  of 
fronts  of  fortifications,  t^tes-de-pont,  modes  of  encampinff  a 
regiment,  with  several  topogra^ical  drawings,  under  glass 
frames — a  series  of  double  desks,  on  each  of  which  were  fying 
a  portfolio  and  mathematical  instruments.  Every  eight  of 
these  are  under  the  charge  of  a  student  of  the  rank  of  cor- 

Eoral,  on  whose  desk  hang  the  names  of  the  squad  over  whom 
e  presides. 

In  the  middle  of  the  hall,  in  an  elevated  desk,  stood  the 
Professor ;  before  him  was  a  list  of  the  names  and  numbers  of 
the  students  at  work  around  him ;  between  the  windows  were 
black  boards  for  demonstration.  At  each  end  of  these  halls 
is  a  small  room  for  the  examination  of  the  students  by  the 
Assistant  Professors,  whose  duty  it  is  to  explain  any  details 
which  the  Professor  may  have  omitted. 

In  a  handsome  room  of  models  I  observed  one-— which 
could  bd  taken  to  pieces,  so  as  to  explain  every  part  o^  the  in- 
terior—of the  block-houses,  surrounded  by  a  ditch,  used  by 
the  French  army  in  Algeria;  others  of  gabions,  fascines, 
cbevaux-de-frise,  pallisades,  and  batteries  of  various  descrip- 
tions. 

The  library  comprehends  16,000  volumes  of  professional 
and  historical  works.  The  chapel,  which  is  neat,  contains  for 
the  officers  a  tribune  or  gallery,  oeneath  which  sit  the  students; 
before  all  is  an  altar,  plain  and  simple. 

I  was  now  conducted  into  a  splendid  "  salle  de  r^r^ation," 
in  the  the  Gour  de  Marengo,  enlightened  lengthways  on  each 
side  by  fifteen  windows,  from  which  is  a  fine  healthy  view. 
From  them  we  went  into  eight  magnificent  dormitories,  each 
containing  in  a  double  row  down  the  middle  and  a  row  against 
each  wall  72  beds  for  an  entire  company.  Above  each  iron 
bodstead,  on  which  there  is  a  hair  and  a  wool  mattress, 'was  a 
bureau  holding  the  cap  and  accoutrements  of  the  student,  also 
a  box  at  the  side  for  his  boots,  &c.  The  ^Idves  make  their 
own  beds,  black  their  own  shoes,  soles  and  all,  and,  in  turns, 
$weep  their  rooms,  for  which  purpose  under  eyer^  eighth  win 

17 


ZBfi 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FSSNOH  STICKS, 


dow  there  was  haoging  a  broom  and  a  dust  shoTel.  At  the 
side  of  the  room  the  Md  of  each  corporal  (an  61dve)  was  dis- 
iinffuished  bv  a  paner  hanging  at  its  bead  containing  the  names 
of  his  squad,  eight  in  numoer.  At  the  end  of  these  long 
rooms  were  arranged  a  quantity  of  muskets. 

As  we  were  proceeding  to  a  lower  stratum  of  the  building 
I  heard  a  drum  suddenly  beat,  and  almost  immediately  there 
appeared,  winding  down  the  staircase  upon  which  we  were 
standing,  the  whole  of  the  dldves.  Over  their  uniforms  they 
had  an  odd-looking  sort  of  working  pinafore  of  blue  cotton, 
which  covered  the  breast  and  arms  down  to  the  wrists.  Each 
bad,  swinging  in  his  hand,  or  tightly  compressed  under  his 
arm,  a  large  piece  of  bread.  TVe  foHowca  them  into  their 
maffnifioent  dming-hall,  the  tiled  floor  of  which  was  dotted 
with  fifty  oak  tables,  each  surrounded  by  twelve  rush-bottomed 
stools,  upon  which  the  students  in  groups  were  hardly  seated 
before  a  string  of  gardens  appeared,  bringing  to  each  table  its 
soup  and  vegetables.  During  this  operation  silence  prevailed ; 
but  as  soon  as  the  tables  were  all  served,  the  drummer,  at  the 
end  of  the  room,  gave  a  roll,  which  immediately  eliciting  from 
the  61dves  a  general  roar  of  applause,  down  the;^  all  sat  with 
theb  caps  on,  and  they  certainly  commenced  their  '*  spoon  ex- 
ercise "  with  an  alacrity  that  youth,  health,  good-humour,  and 
Sood-fellowship  combined,  can  only  produce.  Each  squad  per 
ay  is  allowed  3^  bottles  of  wine.  Their  meals  are  as  follows : 
at  half  past  seVen  they  eat  a  piece  of  bread  ;  at  one  they  dine ; 
at  four  they  bite  and  swallow  another  bit  of  bread ;  and  at 
half-past  eight  sup.  Their  ration  of  wine  is  usually  divided 
between  dinner  and  supper.  Outside  the  dining-room  are  spa- 
cious washing-rooms,  to  which  each  company  is  marched  in  the 
morning  by  beat  of  drum.  ^ 

From  the  dining-room  we  instinctively  went-^into  the  large 
salle  de  cuisine,  in  which  within  the  tiny  space  of  twelve  feet  in 
length  bv  nine  in  breadth  the  cooking  of  the  whole  establish- 
ment (which  has  occasionally  consisted  of  600  dlSves  and  idO 
employes,  total  700)  is,  without  hurry  or  inconvenience,  per- 
formed !  From  it  we  passed  through  the  "  salle  d'armes,"  a 
fine  fencing-room,  the  ceiling  of  whi@h  is  supported  by  columns, 
into  a  "  cour  de  r^cr^ation,"  a  sandy  play-ground  with  a  few 
trees  in  each  corner,  1 10  yards  broad  by  165  in  length.     ' 

From  thence  I  was  conducted  into  the  gymnasium,  a  most 


\  * 


ECOLE  SPECJALE  MILITAIEE  DE  ST.  CTB. 


887 


eztrftordinary  place.  «i  high  and  ai  larse  u  a  ohvroh,  full,  from 
top  to  bottom,  of  all  aorta  of  oddUooklng  thinga,  among  which 
was  a  wooden  horse  without  a  akin,  and  another  with  one.  On 
the  outside,  in  the  open  air.  was  another,  also  replete  with  ob- 
jects that  looked  as  if  they  nad  been  constructed  by  a  mad  car- 
penter. In  the  surrounding  wall,  fifteen  feet  high,  were  crevices 
in  the  mortar,  in  which,  by  the  insertion  of  toes  and  tip^a  of 
fingers,  the  young  candidates  for  commissions  in  the  Line  were 
tauffht  to  climb  to  the  top. 

JBastward  about  three  hundred  yards,  I  found — ^in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  spacious  well-stocked  garden — the  Infirmary,  or  hospi- 
tal, in  which  the  younff  men  who  are  sick  are  carefully  watched 
over  by  seven  Soeurs  de  la  Oharit^. 

In  front  of  the  line  of  buildings  surrounding  the  "  Oouc  de 
Rivoli,"  the  "  Gour  de  Marengo,"  the  "  Oour  d'Austerlitz,"  and 
the  "  Cour  de  Cuisine,"  are  extensive  gardens  belonging  to  the 
General,  and,  adjoining,  a  verv  Iftrae.  rectangular,  open  space, 
called  the  "  Gour  de  Wagram,"  used  for  militarv  drill.  Beyond 
is  a  large  field  of  uneven  ground,  called  the  "  Champ  de  Mars." 
On  the  right  of  all  these  runs  diagonally  a  practising  ground 
for  guns,  mortars,  and  small  arms,  of  nearly  a  mile  in  length. 

On  entering  the  Champ  de  Mars,  at  about  two  o'clock,  I 
found  two  companies  of  the  6Uves  going  through  various  ma- 
noeuvres in  the  presence  of  a  Chef  de  Bataiilon,  who,  in  uniform 
and  on  horseback,  held  in  his  hand  the  notes  of  duties  for  the 
day ;  but  the  words  of  command  were  given  by  the  ^Idves,  who 
are  taught — ^seriatim — to  act  the  parts  of  all  ranks,  from  a 
private  up  to  that  of  the  Chef  de  Bataiilon  who  superintends 
them.  They  are  also,  for  an  hour  or  two  every  day,  made  first 
to  trace  on  the  ground,  and  then  practically  to  construct,  field- 
works  ;  and  accordingly,  some  were  employed  in  finishing  one, 
the  parapet  of  which,  fourteen  feet  high,  was  surrounded  by  a 
ditch  six  feet  deep.  Among  the  works  they  had  completed,  I 
observed,  with  great  interest,  several  ovens  for  campaigning — 
<'  fours  de  oampagne" — ^very  ingeniously  constructed  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  Adjoining  to  these  they  had  been 
taught  to  construct,  for  the  purpose  of  cooking,  boiling  cal- 
drons, &c.,  "en  bivouac,"  holes,  from  which  little  subterra* 
nean  flues,  as  if  they  had  been  burrowed  b^  a  mole,  ran  for  the 
admittance  of  air  and  for  the  exit  of  smoke.  At  the  further 
end  existed  a  small  park,  of  nine  pieces  of  artillery,  gabions, 


m0i»m-^»^ 


\  1 


dss 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENVH  STICKS, 


fascines^  several  sheds  full  of  spades,  piok-azes,  &o.,  a  yard 
;Oontaining  shot  and  sbells,  and  a  powder  magazine^  r 

Beyond  the  Ohamp  de  Mars,  in  the  long  practising  ground 
I  have  described,  I  found  a  butt  and  three  batteries,  one  of 
which,  with  four  embrasures,  550  jr^ds  from  the  butt,  had 
been  lately  made  by  the  ^Idyes. 

We  now  walked  up  to  a  party  of  them  in  heavy  marching 
order  (with  their  knapsacks  on  their  backs),  employed  in  prac- 
tising with  the  new  muskets  and  with  fixed  bayonets  at  a  tarj^et, 
distant  3S0  yards.  Some  fired  at  it  erect ;  others,  by  bendmg 
down  on  their  right  knee,  and  then  placing  their  left  elbow  on 
the  left  thigh,  obtained  a  rest  apparently  of  great  use.  The 
recoil  of  the  musket  in  the  hands  of  these  young  men  was  very 
violent  indeed ;  and  yet,  by  the  report  the  ofi&cer  superintend- 
ing them  showed  me,  it  appeared  they  had,  at  the  distance 
above  named,  struck  the  target  (6  feet  6  inches  high  by  9  feet 
3  inches,  made  to  represent  four  menP  standing  together)  once 
in  ten  times,  which,  he  observed  to  me,  was  about  the  usual 
average. 

Each  6ldve,  or  candidate  for  a  commission  in  the  Line, 
during  the  two  years  he  is  at  the  establishment  of  St.  Oyr,  is 
reqnired  to  fire  per  annum,  at  various  distances,  twenty-eight 
balls  for  muskets,  and  the  same  number  for  carbines,  "  mus- 
quetons"  for  cavalry,  and  pistols.  A  record  is  kept  of  every 
bullet  that  hits  the  target,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  a  prize, 
consisting  of  a  pair  of  pistols,  is  awarded  to  the  best  shot;  be- 
sides which  the  best  thirty  are  assembled  to  fire  In  presence  of 
the  General',  who  gives  a  second  pair  of  pistols  to  the  beat  per- 
former before  him.  During  the  second  year  only,  each  subdi- 
visiciil  fire — from  distances  of  560,  660,  and  770  yards — two 
shells  from  mortars,  one  from  a  howitzer,  and  nine  shot  from 
cannons,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  small-arms,  a  pair  of  pistols  is 
awarded  to  the  best  marksman. 

At  a  considerable  distance  off,  in  the  open  country,  I  oV 
ser^red  several  of  the  ^ung  men  very  intently  occupied  in 
walking  together  in  groups,  and  then  suddenly  stopping.  On 
reaching  them  I  was  introduced  to  the  officer  (the  adjutant  of 
artillery)  in  charge  of  the  party.  The  object  of  the  instruction 
was  as  follows :  the  officer  pointed  out  to  them  a  tree  about  950 
yards  off,  and  calling  to  them  by  their  names  (in  the  French 
laments  of  the  line  the  men  are  called  by  their  wumlers)^  he 


ECOLE  SPECIALE  MLITAIBE  DE  ST.  CYB. 


889 


ihquired  of  each,  before  all  the  rest,  what  he  oonsldered  wa0 
that  distance  1  and  recording  in  the  book  he  held  in  his  hand 
the  answer,  he  repeated  seriatim  the  same  omestion  to  every 
one  until  all  their  replies  were  put  down.  The  precise  dis- 
tance was  then  measured  with  a  chain  by  two  of  the  dldves, 
followed  by  all  the  rest.  As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained,  the 
officer,  calling  around  him  the  whole  of  his  party,  announced 
it  to  them,  and  having  done  so,  he  read  out  loud  the  name, 
(Monsieur  *  *  *)  with  the  distance  he  had  estimated,  and  in 
like  manner  that  of  every  one  present;  several  had  guessed 
it  within  ten  yards.  For  tho  line,  who  use  the  common  mus- 
ket, the  extreme  distance  of  this  practice  is  440  yards  ,*  for 
the  chasseurs  a  pied,  the  average  range  of  whose  muskets  is 
supposed  to  be  1100  yards,  the  distances  practised  are  up  to 
1320yards.  "^ 

While  the  British  army,  from  motives  of  false  economy, 
has  since  the  war  ending  in  1815  been  gradually  sinking  in 
its  equipment,  and,  in  exercising,  to  a  state  of  inferiority  for 
which  no  difference  in  "  pluck"  or  physical  strength  can  possi* 
bly  compensate,  the  French  army  has  been,  and  is,  devoting 
extraordinary  attention  to  ball-firing. 

By  all  high  military  authorities  on  the  Continent  it  is  ooa- 
sidered  that  the  new  French  musket  will,  by  paralysing  old 
routine  manoeuvres  and  tactics,  make  great  alterations  in  th«f 
art  of  war.  s  , 

Heavy  columns  can  no  longer,  as  hitherto,  remain  at  600 
or  700  yards.  Charges  by  cavalry  or  with  bayonet  will  conse-* 
quently  be  more  difficult  and  rare.  Light  artillery  (six-pound- 
ers, for  instance)  will  no  longer  be  serviceable  at  the  distance 
at  which  they  will  be  kept  by  the  new  musket ;  and  aooord- 
ingly,  the  contest  in  future  must  be  between  the  superior  skiU 
aod  arrangements,  in  all  ways,  of  musketrfiring. 

The  French  attach  great  importance  to  this  art ;  and  aS 
their  new  musket,  which  in  theory  we  are,  I  believe,  partially 
about  to  adopt,  requires  the  careful  study  and  practice  which 
they  are  devoting  to  it,  it  Is  evident  that,  if  the  British  soldier, 
who  is  at  present  but  a  very  poor  shot,  is  to  continue  to  be 
deprived  of  the  ammunition  necessary  for  Lis  instruction,  our 
troops  will,  by  a  new  element  of  war,  be  felled  from  a  distance, 
without  power  to  return  the  bl^w. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  Fr^ch  offioeip  do  not  hesitate  iQ 


0 


\» 


890 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGh  STICKS. 


foretell  that  the  fate  of  battles  will  henceforward,  in  a  great 
degree,  depend  upon  the  question  of  which  of  the  two  armies 
engaged  has  attained  the  greatest  degree  of  perfection  in  hall- 
firing  in  general,  and  in  the  scientific  application  of  the  new 
musket  in  particular.  And  it  is  because  tlmi  practise  a  great 
deal  that  it  is  desirable  we  should  be  much  more  liberal  in 
our  consumption  of  ammunition  for  this  purpose  than  we  have 
been  or  are. 

In  the  British  service,  the  half-yearly  allowance  for  ball- 
practice,  totally  inadequate  as  it  is,  if  not  demanded  within 
certain  periods,  is  irrecoverable.  There  are  many  of  our 
barracks  where,  for  want  of  an  appropriate  place  for  practice, 
it  cannot  be  used ;  and  after  all,  very  few,  indeed,  furnish  a 
Bite  for  a  500-jards  range. 

On  returning  to  the  Ecole  the  General  commanding  was 
good  enough  to  give  me  lithographed  copies  of  the  minutest 
details  of  the  different  courses  of  studies  within  and  without 
the  school,  of  the  several  companies  of  each  division,  of  all 
the  interior  regulations  by  which  they  were  governed,  of  the 
punishments  awarded  for  different  offences  ;  and  besides  this 
liberal,  high-minded  treatment  of  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner, 
the  ofl&cer  who  had  had  the  irksome  trouble  of  going  with 
me  over  the  whole  establishment  insisted  on  accompanying 
me  to  the  railway-station,  at  which,  as  soon  as  I  had  arrived, 
with  geat  pr  liteness  he  took  off  his  hat,  and  unconsciously 
paying  an  infinitely  greater  compliment  to  himself  than  to 
me,  he  gave  me  his  "  adieu  !" 

On  returning  to  Versailles,  I  again,  from  the  great  espla- 
nade, observed  for  a  moment  the  outside  of  the  palace,  a 
picturesque  and  rather  heterogeneous  mixture  of  lightning- 
conductors,  blue  slates,  new  chimneys,  old  windows,  white  and 
red  walls,  gilt  iron  railings,  and  statues.  In  the  evening  I 
dined  with  the  British  Ambassador,  at  his  delightful  and 
hospitable  country  residence  at  Versailles. 


ECOLE  PETAT  2UJ0S, 


891 


fiCOLE  D'J^TAT  MAJOR. 


On  entering  a  small  door  adjoining  to  a  very  large  porte- 
cooh^re,  I  saw  before  me  two  spacious  yards  full  of  young  men, 
apparently  officers,  in  uniform,  sitting  with  their  coats  unbut- 
toned in  various  attitudes,  each  busy  with  a  pencil  in  his 
right  hand,  their  left  arms  being  all  employed  m  nursing  or 
supporting  a  large  rectangular  drawing-board,  on  which,  from 
their  respective  stations,  they  were  sketching  the  various  ar- 
chitectural appearances  of  tne  complicated  buildings  before 
them.  Some  were  stooping,  with  their  faces  only  a  few 
inches  from  their  boards;  others,  erectly,  with  their  right 
arms,  stretched  out,  were  measuring  by  their  pencils  the  par- 
ticular angle  of  the  lines  they  were  copying ;  two  or  three 
bad  a  leg  cocked  up  on  the  other  knee  to  help  to  support  the 
hoard;  one  wore  spectacles,  and  the  nose  of  one,  apparently 
for  want  of  a  shortsighted  pair,  kept  almost  ruobmg  itself 
against  its  board,  as  if,  like  the  pencil  close  beside  it,  it  were 
delineating  a  chimney,  a  window,  or  a  long  crooked  zinc  pipe. 
The  colonel  commanding  was  also  in  the  yard,  and,  on  my 
producing  to  him  my  order  from  the  Ministre  de  la  Guerre 
to  see  the  establishment,  with  great  kindness  and  politeness 
he  said  he  would  take  me  over  it  himself. 

Previous  to  1815  the  French  had  no  special  system  of 
education  for  staff-officers,  but  before  the  army  of  occupation 
had  left  their  territory,  the  Minister  of  War,  Marshal  Gou- 
vion  Saint  Gyr,  framed  and 'presented  to  the  legislature,  on 
the  10th  March,  1818,  the  draft  of  a  law  for  the  establish- 
ment not  only  of  a  college  or  "  6cole  "  for  the  education  of 
staff-officers,  but  which  was  to  possess  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  supplying  to  the  army  all  it  required ;  and  thus,  instead 
of  allowing  every  general,  as  a  little  piece  of  private  patron- 
age, to  select  as  an  officer  of  the  staff  of  the  army  in  which 
he  has  to  serve  his  own  sillv  son,  nephew,  or  perhaps,  unsight, 
unseen,  the  near  relation  of  some  pretty  woman  who  had  pes- 
tered him  for  the  appointment---in  short,  instead  of  staff- 


392 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


officers  being  snatched  up  from  here  and  there,  to  serve  tem- 
porarily and  disconnected  as  before — they  were  henceforward 
to  form  a  permanent,  most  important,  and  most  yaluable 
branch  of  the  army,  under  the  appellation  of  "  Le  Corps 
Boyal  d'Etat  Major."  This  new  establishment,  sanctioned 
and  committed  to  the  charge  of  Generiopl  Besprez,  an  officerof 
engineers,  who  in  his  youth  had  highly  distinguished  himself 
in  the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  and  had  subsequently  served  on 
the  staff  with  great  success,  rapidly  reached  the  perfection  in 
which  it  now  exists,  and  which  has  caused  it  to  be  imitated, 
more  or  less,  by  most  of  the  great  continental  powers  of 
Europe. 

In  time  of  peace  the  "  Corps  d'Etat  Major"  of  France  is 
composed  of  30  Colonels,  30  Jfjieut. -Colonels,  100  Chefs  de 
Kataillon,  300  Captains,  100  Lieutenants, — ^forming  a  total 
of  560  officers  (the  whole  corps  of  British  JEtoyal  Engineers 
contains  only  307) ;  besides  which  there  can  be  called  forth 
at  any  time  100  lieutenants,  wl^o,  having  gone  through  the 
cdurso  of  studies  at  the  "•  Ecole,"  are  employing  themselves 
as  will  be  described.  The  inspecting  generals  of  infantry  and 
cavalry  are  required,  in  the  course  of  their  annual  inspections, 
to  examine  ail  captains  and  lieutenants  of  the  Etat  Major 
employed  on  the  staff  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  ma- 
noQUvrcs ;  also  in  their  own  special  service,  by  making  them 
execute  military  reconnaissances,  never  giving  them  more 
than  forty-eight  hours  to  make  both  their  plans  and  their 
wi^itton  report. 

The  fbllowing  list  of  the  costly  establishment  of  the 
''Ecole  d'Etat  Major"  very  significantly  explains  the  im- 
poirtanoc  ^tehich  Franco  attaches  to  the  education  of  staff  of- 
ficers for  her  armies : 

The  "Ecole  d'Etat  Major"  is  commanded  in  chief  by  a_ 
Mar^cKal  dc  Camp,  assisted  by — 

One  Colonel  of  the  "  Corps  d'^ltat  Major,"  director  of  the 
studies. 

One  Chef  d'Escadron^  of  the  same  corps,  charged  with  the 
8uperintend<^nce  of  the  interior,  and  with  the  instruction  re- 
lating to  manccuvres,  exorcises,  and  miltary  regulations. 

Three  Captains  of  the  same  corps,  assistants  to  the  Chef 
d'Escadron,  besides  which,  one  of  them  is  especially  charged 
with  the  instruction  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  hors6  man- 


ECOLE  D'ETAT  MAJOR. 


398 


agem^it  and  horsemanship ;  the  two  others  in  directing  topo- 
graphical surveys. 

One  Medical  Officer,  of  at  least  the  rank  of  Ohimrgien' 
Major. 

The  Military  Professors  consist  of — 

One  Captain,  or  Chef  d'Escadron,  of  the  Etat  Major, 
Professor  of  Descriptive  Geometry. 

One  ditto,  ditto,  Professor  of  Astronomy,  of  Physical 
Geography,  and  of  Statistics. 

One  ditto,  ditto,  Professor  of  G^od^sie  and  of  Topog- 
raphy. 

One  Captain',  or  Chef  de  Bataillon,  of  the  Corps  of  Engi- 
neers, Professor  of  Fortification. 

One  ditto,  ditto,  of  the  Artillery,  for  the  instruction  of  that 
branch  of  the  servic 

One  Military  Superintendent,  Professor  of  Legislation 
and  of  Military  Administration. 

One  Captain,  or  Chef  d'Escadron,  of  the  Corps  d'Etat 
Major,  Professor  of  the  Art  of  War  ("  d'Art  Militaire  "). 

Four  Captains  of  the  Corps  d'Etat  Major,  as  Assistant- 
Professors  of  Descriptive  Geography,  of  Geography  and  Sta^ 
tistics,  of  Topography,  and  the  Art  of  War. 

The  Civil  Establishment  consists  of — 

One  Professor  of  Drawing. 

One  Assistant  ditto. 

Two  Professors  of  the  German  Language. 

One  Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Librarian. 

One  Assistant-Treasurer. 

One  Sentinel  Porter. 

Lastly,  for  the  purpose  of  firmly  cementing  together  the 
whole  of  the  above  elements  into  one  solid  mass, — 

One  Drummer. 

The  education  of  the  '•  Ecole,"  already  almost  sufficiently 
explained  by  the  titles  of  the  professors,  may  very  briefly  l>e 
detailed  as  follows  : — 

Mathematics. — Arithmetic,  algebra,  logarithms,  geometry. 

Descriptive  Geometry. — Construction  of  straight  lines, 
curves,  and  tangents ;  with  the  Various  lines  separating  light 
and  shade  ;  principles  of  perspective. 

Trigonometry  and  Topography. — ^Use  of  the  plain  table, 
compass,  spirit  level,  principles  of  reconnaissance. 

17* 


w 


394 


A  FAQQOT  OF  FRENCH  STIOKS. 


Cosmography. — Movement,  diurnal,  of  the  earth,  of  tho 
Ban,  moon,  planets,  satellites,  comets,  and  stars. 

Geogra'phy. — Detailed  description  of  t^e  surface  of  the 
globe,  also  of  the  various  governments  and  populations. 

Natural  PhUosophy. — A  slight  course  of. 

Chemistry. — ^Ditto. 

Artillery. — Description  of  the  implements  of  war  of  the 
ancients ;  of  those  of  every  sort  now  in  use ;  of  the  armament 
of  different  branches  of  the  army  ;  fabrication  of  gunpowder ; 
construction  of  gabions,  fascines,  platforms,  &c. ;  principles  of 
firing  artillery ;  general  idea  of  the  employment  of  artillery  in 
the  attack  and  defence  of  fortified  places. 

Field  Fortificatian. — Explanation  of  the  various  profiles  of 
field-works ;  application  of  abatis,  palissades,  fraises,  chevaux- 
de-frise,  trous  de  loup,  &o. ;  general  j)rinciples  of  tracing  out 
works,  such  as  redans,  lunettes,  t^te-de-pontSj  redouts,  star- 
works,  barbet  batteries,  &c. 

Permanent  Fortification. — Description  of  the  systems  of 
Yauban,  Oormantaigne,  &c. ;  also  of  the  new  French  system. 

A^umU  and  IMence  of  Places. — Description  of  lines  of 
ciroumvallation  ana  contravallation ;  of  approach ;  of  open 
and  covered  sap ;  description  of  an  attack  from  the  opening  of 
the  trenches  to  the  passage  of  the  ditch. 

Military  Administration.  —  Interior  administration  of 
companies'  pay,  subsistence,  forage,  fuel,  clothing,  linen,  shoes, 
arms,  equipment,  harness,  shoeing,  service  on  the  march,  lodg- 
ing, infirmary,  hospitals,  field  hospitals,  military  accounts,  mili- 
tary justice. 

Art  Militaire. — The  organization,  tactics,  and  manoeuvres 
of  infantry,  ofiensive  and  defensive.  Ditto  of  cavalry.  Ex- 
planation and  use  of  outpost  duties ;  of  rounds  and  patrols ; 
of  the  conduct  of  detachments  near  the  enemy ;  duties  of  the 
different  fractions  of  a  detachment  under  various  circum- 
stances;  of  topographical  reconnaissances;  of  armed  recon- 
naissances ;  of  the  means  necessarv  for  reconnaisanoes;  guides, 
spies,  deserters,  prisoners,  travellers,  &c. ;  of  convoys,  their 
destination,  rules  to  be  observed  on  their  march,  mode  of 
parking  them  or  defending  them ;  special  rules  for  the  convoy 
of  prisoners ;  of  the  attack  of  convoys.  Defence  and  attack 
of  villages,  of  woods,  of  defiles,  according  to  their  respective 
characters;  of  ambuscades,  and  Also  of  surprises,  different 


EOOLS  D^JSTAT  MAJOB. 


895 


modes  of  preparing  and  carryins  them  into  effect  under  vari« 
ous  oiroumstaneeB ;  of  foraging  by  force,  &o. ;  of  cantonments, 
rnles  to  be  observed ;  choice  of  the  best  positions  for  encamp- 
ments, for  the  biyoaao  of  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery. 
Bules  of  castrametation  for  troops  of  all  arms,  under  canvas, 
or,  in  barracks,  billets,  &o. 

Manauvres. — Of  every  description. 

French  IMeratu/re^  Latin^  and  German  Language.'^ 
Grammar,  prose,  poetry  of  each ;  rhetoric ;  different  descrip- 
tions of  public  speaking. 

F^mcing. — In  the  usual  way. 

Smmming, — Ditto. 

Horsemanship.  —  To  each  student  are  givei^  ninety-four 
lessonS)  consisting,  besides  riding,  of  lectures  on  the  anatomy 
of  the  horse,  of  his  principal  diseases,  of  his  treatment,  food, 
water,  ventilation  of  stables ;  on  shoeing ;  on  rest ;  work ; 
precautions  to  be  taken  on  a  march,  and  in  a  campaign ;  on 
the  purchase  of  horses ;  and  lastly,  how  to  proceed  in  cases  of 
false  warranty. 

After  conversing  some  time  with  the  Colonel  and  com- 
mandant of  the  establishment,  I  followed  him  into  one  of  the 
halls  of  study,  in  which  I  found  ten  or  twelve  fine  intelligent- 
looking  young  men,  employed  in  drawing  plans  of  fortification, 
the  works  of  a  siege,  breaches,  flying  bridges,  and  reconnais- 
sances of  country  2200  yards  (one  mile  and  a  quarter)  broad, 
by  3300  yards  (about  two  miles)  long,  taken  by  themselves  by 
compass  only  ;  and  as  these  reconnaissances  had  all  been  laid 
down  on  the  same  scale,  the  colonel,  on  placing  two  or  three  of 
them  together,  pointed  out  to  me  how  accurately  they  coin- 
cided, so  as  to  form  altogether,  for  a  general  officer,  a  continu- 
ous oarte-du-pays.  Those  engaged  in  plan-drawing  were  ori- 
ginating their  own  delineations  from  plaster  models  of  the  dif- 
ferent features  of  a  country.  He  was  also  good  enough  to 
show  me  a  plan  of  Toulouse,  with  a  written  report  thereon, 
by  one  student ;  a  plan  of  Besanqon,  with  an  historical  mili- 
tary memoir,  by  another ;  a  plan  of  Dieppe  by  another.  He 
informed  me  that  three  times  a-week  the  students  learn  land- 
scape-drawing, of  which  he  laid  before  me  some  specimens  of 
extraordinary  talent.  In  another  room  he  was  kind  enough 
to  show  me  plans  by  the  students  of  the  principal  sieges  of 
Spain,  with  drawings  by  them  of  artillery  of  all  descriptions. 


v\ 


896 


A  FAQOOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


In  the  mathematioal  hall  I  found  around  a  black  bQard|  a . 
horseshoe  tbble  containing  twenty-^ye  desks ;  and  in  the  libra*' 
Tj.  to  which  government  every  year  gives  a  certain  sum,  8000 
volumes  on  professional  subjects. 

The  hospital  was  what  Mr.  *  •  *  *,  M.P.,  in  advocatins 
economy,  contemptuouslv  calls  a  "  sinecMr," — Anglicd,  it  did 
not  contain  a  single  student ;  indeed  the  colonel  told  me  that 
any  one  who  occupies  it  more  than  thirty-five  days  is  consi- 
dered to^have  lost  nis  year's  study ;  and  as  this  led  to  the  sub- 
ject of  discipline,  I  ascertained  that  the  punishments  of  the 
students  consist  of, — 

1.  A  simple  order  of  arrest  by  any  o£5icer  of  the  establish- 
ment, which,  while  it  confines  them  to  theur  room,  does  not 
exempt  them  from  study. 

%.  An  ^'  arr^t  de  rigneur,"  with  or  without  a  sentinel, 
which  confines  them  in  their  rooms  from  study. 

3.  Confinement  in  a  military  prison,  to  which  the  culprit 
is  conducted  by  the  officer  on  duty  for  the  week,  who  beings 
back  to  the  fiela-marshal  commandant  a  receipt  from  the  jailer 
for  his  person. 

The  students  are  required  strictlv  to  attend  to  the  orders 
respecting  their  dress,  composed  of  a  ^'  grande  tenue,"  *  the 
uniform  of  the  ''  Corpu  d'Etat  Major,"  minus  the  embroidery 
and  aiguillette ;  a  "petite  tenue," f  consisting  simply  of  a  uni- 
form Coat,  epaulettes,  hat,  and  sword ;  and  a  "  tenue  de .  tra- 
vail,'*! of  a  unifoi^m  coat  Without  epaulettes.  The  form,  shape, 
and  colour  of  every  article  of  their  clothing  is  strictly  regu- 
lated by  martial  law  ;  for  instance,  the  dimensions  of  their 
hats — totally  irrespective  of  the  different  amount  of  brains 
within  each — are  decreed  to  be  as  follows : — 


MUlem«trM. 

(Before      .....  140 

1  Behind     .        .        .        .        .  206 

Before      ......  080 

'  Behind 025 

.      ' 126 

070 

Diameier  of  the  loop  .....  080 

Breadth  of  the  twist  of  the  loop         .        .  042 


Height  . 

Arch  .  . 

Length 
BreadtH 


Lastly,  the  students  are  required,  in  the  ^  Eoole"  and  out  j^of 
it,  to  salute  all  officers  of  rank  superior  to  their  own ;  and  to 


*  FulldreflB. 


f  Undrefldb 


%  Working  dresi. 


BCOLE  IfETAT  UAJOB. 


aor 


assemble,  wheneyer  called  upon  to  do  so,  by  beat  of  drum, 
l^yery  day  they  are  allowed  to  be  absent  from  the  Eoole  from 
fiye  in  the  eyening  till  eleyen  at  night,  excepting  on  Saturday, 
when  they  may  be  out  till  midniffht ;  and  four  times  a  month 
they  are  permitted  to  be  out  ^  night,  but — ^what  sounds 
reasonable  enough — ^not  two  nights  oonsecutiyely.  If  at  the 
yearly  examination  they  do  not  attain  a  certain  sum  total  of 
proficiency,  they  are  summarily  discarded  from  the  "Ecol^ 
d'BtcU  Major j"  and  at  once  appointed  to  regiments  in  the  army. 

I  was  pow  conducted  into  a  stable  containing  fifty  horses, 
maintained  for  the  instruction  of  the  students.  As  is  usual 
in  the  French  seryice,  the  name  of  each  was  appended  over  his 
mangier:  among  them  I  obseryed  a  mare  entitled  "  La  Milady," 
and  a  slight,  long-legged  horse,  called  ^Le  Genttemann." 
From  the  stables  the  colonel  led  me  into  an  unusually  large  and 
lofty  riding-school,  264  feet  in  diameter,  around  whioL  followed 
by  a  groom  on  horseback,  there  was  cantering,  at  tne  rate  of 
very  nearly  three  miles  an  hour,  a  thin,  old,  erect  gentleman — 
he  was  a  stranger,  and  had  no  connection  with  the  establish- 
ment — ^who,  with  a  red  ribbon  in  his  button-hole,  with  hands 
bent  like  the  paws  of  a  dancing-bear,  and  with  the  points  of  his 
toes  gently  resting  in  his  stirrups,  was  taking,  as  medicine,  his 
daily  dose  of  horse  exercise. 

The  dormitories  are  composed  of  moderate-sized  rooms; 
containing  sometimes  one,  and  sometimes  two,  beds. 

Lastly,  I  was  conducted  into  a  good  garden. 

The  hours  of  labour  are  in  summer  eleyen,  and  in  winter 
nine,  every  day  in  the  week  except  Sundays  and  f^te-days.  Of 
the  year,  eight  months  are  devoted  to  studies  within  the 
"  Ecole,"  three,  to  exterior  reconnaissances  and  actual  surveys 
under  officers  of  engineers,  and  one  for  the  examination  in  two 
divisions  of  all  the  students. 

The  period  of  residence  at  the  "  Eoole"  is  two  years.  The 
number  of  students  fifty,  oi  whom  twenty-five  every  year,  after 
passing  their  examinations  in  the  various  studies  enumerated 
(which  in  the  aggregate  are  considered  as  a  preliminary  portion 
of  their  education)  are,  with  the  rank  only  they  held  at  the 
f'  Ecole  "  namely  that  of  sous-lieutenant,  employed  ./br  ttoa  yea/n 
as  "  aide-majors"  (assistant-adjutants)  in  a  regiment  of  cavalry. 
They  then,  with  the  rank  of  Ueutenjsmt,  are  required  to  serve 
for  two  years  more  as  aide-majors  in  a  regiment  of  infantry; 


398 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


and  afterwards,  oooasionally  but  not  always,  are  sent  for  a  year, 
in  the  same  oapaoity,  first  to  the  artillery,  and  then  to  the. 
engineers,  which  completes  the  oonrse  of  military  ednoation 
which  France  deems  it  advisable  to  give  to  its  "  Oorps  d'Etat 
Major,"  a  national  nursery  for  generals  whom  the  country  may 
reasonably  deem  competent  to  command  under  any  circum- 
stances the  various  armies  on  which  the  destinies  and  honour 
of  the  nation  are  supposed  to  depend.  From  the  education 
they  have  received  they  are  also  deemed  competent  to  be  placed 
at  the  disposition  of  the  French  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  to 
be  attached  to  embassies,  or  employed  in  diplomatic  missions. 

As  I  was  walking  through  the  garden,  I  asked  the  colonel 
to  be  so  good  as  to  explain  to  me  who  had  the  patronage  of 
appointing  to  the  "  Eoole  d'Etat  Major"  the  twenty-five  stu- 
dents  requisite  to  replace  that  number  who  were  annually  pro- 
moted from  it  to  be,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenants,  aide-majors 
(assistant  adjutants)  of  cavalry.  He  told  me  that  no  such 
influence  was  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  Eoole  d'Etat  Major ; 
and,  accordingly,  that  by  an  order  of  G-overnment,  the  yearly  de- 
ficiency, without  any  patronage  whatever,  is  supplied  bv  three 
of  the  most  distinguished  scholars  of  the  Ecole  Polytechniaue, 
and  by  twenty-two  who  in  like  manner  have  most  distinguished 
themselves  in  their  progress  through  the  military  odlege  of 
St.  Cyr. 

This  sensible  arrangement,  which,  regardless  of  expense, 
gives  to  the  brightest  talents  the  country  can  produce  the  best 
professional  education  it  can  devise,  accords  with  the  whole 
military  system  of  the  French  army,  which,  among  other  regula- 
tions, has  ordained  that  no  one  can  be  appointed  to  the  rank  of 
sous-lieutenant  until  he  has  either  served  at  least  two  years  as  a 
non-commissioned  officer  (sous-offioier)  in  some  corps  of  the 
army,  or  for  two  years  has  been  an  ^leve  of  the  Eoole  Militaire 
de  St.  Cyr  or  Polyteohnique,  and  has,  moreover,  passed  all  the 
etaminations  thereof 

As  I  was  walking  homewards  I  could  not  help  comparing 
the  system  of  military  education  I  had  witnessed  in  the  Casernes, 
and  m  the  Eooles  Polyteohnique,  Ponts  et  Chaus6es,  Sp^oiale 
Militaire  de  St.  Cyr,  and  d'Etat  Major  of  France,  with  the 
course  pursued  in  my  own  country ;  and  as  this  painful  subject 
id  of  vital  importance  to  every  member  of  our  community,  it 
will  I  trust  be  deemed  not  unworthy  of  a  few  minutes'  patient 
consideration. 


ECOLE  D'ETAT  MAJOR. 


399 


According  to  the  regulations  of  the  British  armv  no  young 
man,  whatever  interest  he  may  possess,  can  enter  the  corps  (n 
Boyal  Engineers,  or  the  Koyal  Regiment  of  Artillery,  without 
going  through  the  military  academy  at  Woolwich. 

As  a  school  of  preparation  for  the  remainder  of  the  army,— 
the  cavalay,  infantry,  and  staff, — there  has  also  existed  lonff 
ago  at  Great  Marlow,  and  latterly  at  Sandhurst,  a  Royal  Mill- 
tary  College ;  and  as  it  and  the  army  have  been  and  are  under 
the  same  power,  it  would  have  been  natural  to  conceive  either 
that  the  expenses  of  the  college,  if  useless,  would  have  been 
abolished,  or,  if  deemed  useful,  that  by  a  simple  regulation 
every  candidate  for  a  comn^ission  would,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Woolwich  academy,  have  been  required  to  pass  through  it ;  by 
which  arrangement,  whatever  amount  of  education  from  time  to 
time  might  be  deemed  necessary  would  be  equally  imparted  to 
all  our  young  officers,  who,  on  joining  their  respective  regiments, 
would  be  known  to  possess  military  knowledge  up  at  least  to 
the  point  prescribed.  Instead,  however,  of  issuing  any  such 
regulation — strange  to  say — it  has  been,  and  still  is,  left  to  the 
father,  mother,  guardian,  uncle,  grandfather,  or  grandmother 
•9f  every  young  man  who  enters  the  army,  to  determine,  accord- 
ing to  his  or  her  ignorance  or  prejudices,  whether  he  shall  ac- 
cept this  national  course  of  education  or  not  I  and  accordingly 
it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  ensigns 
of  the  British  army  have  joined  their  respective  regiments 
without  having  received  any  military  education  whatever. 

Now,  instead  of  correcting  this  anomaly  by  the  simple 
establishment  of  one  general  system,  there  has  lately  been 
adopted  a  medium  course,  which,  by  many  very  faithful  ad- 
mirers of  the  power  from  whence  it  has  emanated,  is  considered 
to  be  a  very  serious  mistake ;  and  as  I  most  reluctantly  own 
that  I  concur  in  this  opinion,  I  will  endeavour  to  explain  the . 
objections  urged  against  the  following  order,  the  portions  of 
which  that  are  considered  to  be  very  loosely  worded,  are 
printed  in  italics  :-^ 


Memorandum:  of  the  points  upon  which  Mr. 


—  will  have  to  be  exa- 
mined when  selected  by  the  Oommander-in-Chief  for  a  Commission  in 
the  Army. 

In  order  to  have  some  certainty  that  the  applicants  for  commissions  in 
her  MMCSty's  service  have  been  educated  as  gentlemen,  it  is  directed  that 
eadi  of  them  shall  be  examined  by  persons  appointed  by  the  Commander- 


400 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


in>Obief  for  thai  purpose,  particularly  on  the  following  poiota,  before  they 
can  be  recommondeu  for  commiHions : — 

1.  The  candidate  muat  be  able  to  read  Engliah  correctly,  and  write  it 
firom  dictation. 

2.  In  arithmetio,  he  must  be  acquainted  with  the  first  four  rules  (simple 
and  compound)  and  vroportiotu 

8.  In  languages,  he  must  be  able  to  construe  any  part  of  CcBsar's '  Oom« 
mentaries '  (exclusive  of  the  portion  ascribed  to  Hirtius),  and  parse ;  or,  if 
he  ahould  riot  have  received  a  claaaical  edtuation,  he  must  translate  into 
English  a  given  passage  from  a  French  or  German  author,  a$  he  may  him- 
»el/ prefer,  and  parse. 

4.  in  history,  he  must  be  able  to  answer  auch  queatioM  aa  may  b«  put 
to  him  by  tJie  examinera. 

6.  In  geography,  he  must  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  general  division* 
of  the  world ;  the  name  of  the  capital  of  each  nation,  in  Europe ;  the  prin- 
cipal rivers,  seaports,  and  military  posts  in  Qreat  Britain  and  Ireland ;  her 
Jutyeat^a  domiiiiona  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

6.  In  fortification,  he  must  be  able  to  trace  upon  pap«r,  in  presence  of 
the  examiners,  a  front  of  fortification,  according  to  vauban's  first  system. 
If  this  is  done  correctlvby  the  candidate,  it  will  be  received  aa  evidence,  at 
the  same  time,  of  his  having  acquired  bomk  knmeledgf  of  drawing. 

*l.  If  the  candidate  be  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  he  will  have 
to  produce  a  certificate  of  having  been  confirmed.  If  not  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England,  he  will  be  required  to  produce  a  certificate  from  a 
miniater  or  priett,  stating  that  he  has  been  well  instructed  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  religion  in  which  he  has  been  brought  up. 

8.  A  medical  examination  will  take  place  to  ascertain  that  the  candi- 
date is  in  every  point  of  view  fit  for  military  service. 

Now,  without  stopping  to  notice  any  of  the  paragraphs  in 
italics — ^which  (especially  in  requirement  No.  4)  are  evidently 
so  indefinite  that  if  the  ^^ person"  appointed  as  examiner 
should  happen  to  be  a  little  bilious  or  out  of  humour  on  the 
particular  morning,  he  may  make  the  examination  so  severe 
as  to  reject  any  candidate  he  pleases — it  may  be  at  once 
stated  that  the  main  objection  to  the  above  regulations  is, 
that,  without  imparting  to  a  candidate  for  a  commission  mili- 
tary information  of  ant/  practical  value,  they  materially  injure 
the  raw  material  from  which  the  British  army  has  hitherto 
been  supplied,  by  forcing  every  candidate  for  a  commission  to 
leave  our  great  public  sahools  in  order  to  obtain,  in  wbat  is 
commonly  called  a  ''  cramming  establishment,"  on  Shooter's 
Hill,  Hammersmith,  or  some  of  the  purlieus  of  London,  ex- 
actly the  amount  of  mathematics,  plan-drawing,  French,  and 
German,  that  will  enable  him  to  pass  the  examination,  or,  in 
it  it  is  technically  termed  by  the  advertisers,  "  bring  him  u^ 
to  the  mark." 


SOOLS  D'ETAT  MAJOR, 


401 


.  ■  Let  OS  for  a  moment  fairly  weigl^  what  is  lost  and  what  i« 
gained  by  this  arrangement.  Altliough  in  our  public  schools 
education  is  unfortunately  almost  coniined  to  a  well-grounded 
knowledge  of  those  two  ancient  duud  languages  on  which  our 
own  is  founded,  yet  there  c.  n  be  no  doubt  thoy  offer  to  can- 
didates for  the  army  adyauta^es  of  an  inestimable  nature. 
In  their  play-grounds  and  in  their  rooms  courage  is  uniyersally 
admired,  cowardice  or  meanness  universally  despised ;  manly 
feelings,  noble  sentiments^  and  generous  conduct  are  fostered 
and  encouraged  ;  the  spoiled  child  of  rank,  whose  face  had 
formerly  always  been  most  ob..equiously  smoothed  fi?ot<;nwar,ds, 
by  the  rough  nand  of  the  school  is  rubbed  towards,  until  his 
admiration  of  himself,  of  hfs  family,  and  of  tne  extraordinary 
talents  of  his  m^aden  aunt,  are  exchanged  for  a  corrector 
estimate,  which  i^yentually  makes  him  a  better,  a  wiser,  and 
a  happier  man.  In  short,  the  unwritten  code  of  honour,  which 
like  a  halo  shines  around  the  playgrounds  of  our  public 
schools,  ever  has  done,  and  ever  will  do,  all  that  can  be  per- 
formed to  make  those  who  have  the  good  fortune  to  exist 
under  it  Gentlemen. 

Now  when  a  fine,  handsome,  hi^h-minded  young  nobleman 
is  torn  away  from  advantages  oi  this  nature  to  be  "  crammed" 
at  a  solitary  house,  in  what  position  does  he  find  himself? 
Instead  of  the  delightful  society  he  has  enjoyed,  he  finds 
himself  the  guest  of  a  needy  man,  whose  silly  wife^  and  whose 
three  or  four  plump  daughters,  are  as  proud  of  him  as  if  he 
had  descended  among  them  from  the  sun.  They  show  him 
off  at  church,  have  him  to  tea,  and  afraid  to  rebuke  him, 
think  themselves  highly  honoured  by  almost  every  thing  he 
says  or  does.  His  companions  a«e  probably  half  a  dozen 
different  shaped  lads,  from  various  ranks  in  life.*  They  per- 
haps also  spoil  him,  and  even  if  they  do  not,  the  association 
is  altogether  on  so  small  a  scale,  the  education  is  in  its  cha- 
racter of  so  low  a  caste— one  in  which  the  sons  of  school- 
masters, surveyors,  and  the  lower  orders  of  professions  are 
sure  to  excel— that,  although  it  may  ensure  him  passing  his 
examination,  his  young  mind  becomes  unavoidably  injured  by 
the  three-cornered  ideas  on  all  subjects  which  have  been 
stuffed  into  it. 

And  now,  if  this  be  true  (al8*(  I  will  any  one  that  has 
r#yeUed  in  the  playground  of  an  English  public  school  deny 


402 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


it  ?),  is  it  not  extraordinary  to  reflect  that  this  alteration  in 
the  qualification  for  a  commission  from  the  society  and  educa* 
tion  of  a  gentleman  to  that  which  would  be  appropriate  to  a 
clerk,  to  a  young  civil  engineer,  or  to  a  superior  class  of  me- 
chanic, has  been  concocted  to  prevent  tne  very  evil  it  is 
creating ;  in  short,  the  young  nobleman  {vide  the  "  Memo- 
randum ")  is  to  be  transplanted  from  Eton  to  Shooter's  Hill, 
"  in  order  to  have  some  certainty  that  the  applicants  for  com- 
missions in  Her  Majesty's  Service  have  been  educated  as 

GENTLEMEN ! I " 

Again,  it  is  generally  considered  that  the  Memorandum, 
dated  Horse  Guards,  4th  July,  1851,  detailing  the  examina- 
tion for  the  rank  of  captain,  is  not  only  far  too  severe  to  be 
requited  from  all  officers,  but  will  lead  to  great  hardships  and 
inconveniences.  A  man  may  be  an  excellent  officer;  may 
have  served  for  many  years  with  great  gallantry  and  distinc- 
tion ;  he  may,  moreover,  possess  sound  sense,  judgment,  and 
zeal ;  and  yet  be  quite  unequal — especially  if  his  services 
have  been  in  remote  colonies — to  undergo  the  examination 
required,  and  which,  after  all,  has  but  very  little  to  do  with 
his  regimental  duties,  namely ; — 

"  The  first  six  books  of  Euclid.  Geometry ;  geometry  on  the  ground. 
Algebra,  comprisiDg  addition,  subtraction,  multiplication,  division,  the  ex- 
traction of  the  square  root',  and  the  solution  of  simple  equations.  Piano 
trigonometry,  comprehending  the  solutions  of  plane  triangles  in  the  three 
principal  cases,  with  applications  to  the  determinations  of  heights  and  dis- 
tances ;  examples  to  be  worked  logarithmically.  Mensuration,  including 
the  determination  of  the  areas  of  plane  figures,  rectilinear  and  circular,  with 
the  volumes  and  surfaces  of  solids,  t&c,  t&c." 

And  thus,Vhile  in  France,  under  a  regular  and  continuous 
system  of  military  education,  the  soldiers^  the  officers^  and  the' 
staff  of  the  army,  in  the  various  schools  I  have  described,  and 
afterwards  in  extensive  encampments,  are  studiously  learning 
grand  manoeuvres  and  evolutions,  siege-duties,  ball-firing,  as 
well  as  the  minutest  details  of  field  exercise,  the  promotion  of 
our  officers,  to  whom  no  such  advantages  are  allowed,  will 
occasionally  be  stopped  because  they  are  unable  to  pass 
through  a  severe  examination  in  geometry ! — just  as  if, 
according  to  Mr.  Cobden's  theory,  disputes  between  nations 
were  hereafter  to  be  settled  by  logic  instead  of  by  bullets 
and  cold  steel. 


i:COLE  D'ETAT  MAJOR. 


403 


"  I  really  carCt  understand  this  fifth  book  of  Euclid  /" 
eaid  many  years  ago  a  Woolwich  cadet  to  that  celebrated 
mathematician  and  philosopher,  John  Bonnycastle. 

"  /  don^t  wonder  at  it,  bot/"  was  the  reply ;  "  I  can  hardly 
undo'stand  it  myself  !" 

The  British  nation  may  pride  itself  on  its  wealth,  and  the 
British  army  on  its  logic,  and  yet  before  our  faces  Mr.  Hobbs 
picks  our  locks,  while  Mr.  Colt's  revolvers,  the  French  mus- 
ket, and  the  superior  sailing  of  the  yacht  "  America,"  unde- 
niably promise  to  kill  and  outstrip  us  by  land  and  by  sea. 

There  certainly  seems  to  be  a  fatality  hanging  over  the 
protection  of  our  country  which,  like  a  channel  fog,  renders 
everything  connected  with  it  invisible. 

Considering  the  abject  respect  which  Truth  meets  with  in 
England  from  persons  of  all  politics,  it  is  certainly  inexpli- 
cable that  on  the  single  subject  of  the  defences  of  the  whole 
property  of  the  nation,  figures  and  facts  have  no  specific 
gravity  whatever  !  On  every  other  question  they  are  not 
only  scrupulously  weighed,  but  in  every  possible  variety  of 
combination  they  are,  by  all  ranks  of  people,  most  ingeniously 
weighed  over  and  over  and  over  again. 

On  the  subject  of  the  Catholic  religion,  "of  corn-laws, 
game-laws,  poor-laws,  free-trade,  &c.  &o.  &c.,  meetings  can  be 
convened  at  almost  any  notice,  at  almost  any  time,  and  at  al- 
most any  place  ;  petitions  can  be  plentifully  signed ;  the  sub- 
ject, year  after  year,  can  be  brought  forward  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  debated,  twisted,  turned  over  in  every  possible  way  ; 
and  yet  no  sooner  have  650  gentlemen  tired  themselves  and 
everybody  else  almost  to  death  by  talking  about  it,  than— 
iust  as  if  it  rose  out  of  the  ground  in  which  it  had  been 
buried — it  majestically  reappears  in  the  House  of  Lords,  where 
all  its  "  facts  and  figures"  are  reweighed,  and  every  argument 
rediscussed.  On  the  publication  of  their  lordships'  speeches 
the  subject  is  again  debated  throughout  the  country,  and  so 
on,  almost  ad  i7ifi?iitum. 

But  besides  this  unwearied  investigation  of  great  subjects, 
every  newspaper  in  the  United  Kingdom  professes  to  weigh, 
with  accuracy  and  impartiality,  the  minutest  transactions,  not 
only  of  Great  Britain  but  of  every  other  country  in  the  world. 
The  reasons  for  and  against  everything  that  occurs  therein 
are  analysed  ;  indeed,  whenever  a"  common  railway  or  the 


w 


404 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


most  uuinteresting  description  of  private  accident  occurs,  the 
community  are  never  satisfied,  until  by  a  coroner's  inquest, 
or  by  some  other  ofl&cial  inquiry,  they  have  been  informed 
of  what  are  popularly  called  "  the  facts  of  the  case ;"  and  yet, 
if  any  one  ventures  to  submit  to  the  people  of  England, — ' 

1st,  Figures  showing  that,  in  point  of  numbers,  the  army 
of  G-reat  Britain  is  to  that  of  France,  in  the  proportion  of 
rather  less  than  an  inch  to  a  yard. 

2nd.  Facts  showing  the  superior  military  education  of  the 
army  of  France  as  compared  with  that  of  the  army  of  Great 
Britain, — every  eye  is  averted  from  the  figures,  every  ear  is 
hermetically  closed  against  the  facts  !  And  thus,  while  every 
item  of  property  within  the  British  dominions  is,  as  it  is 
termed,  "  ensured  from  loss,"  the  kingdom  itself,  almost  by 
acclamation,  is  allowed,  day  after  day,  month  after  month, 
and  year  after  year,  to  exist  unprotected,  save  by  that  Al- 
mighty power  by  which  it  has  hitherto  been  maintained. 


-•••■ 


LA  GRANDE  CHAUMlijRB. 


In  Galignani's  detailed  account  of  the  variety  of  balls  which 
in  every  quarter  of  Paris  are  to  be  found  suited  to  all  classes 
of  society,  I  read  as  follows : — 

"  Grande  Chaumi^re,  TSo.  96,  Boulevart  du  Mont  Pamasse,  is  the  habi- 
tual resort  of  students  and  etudiantes,  a  title  familiarly  given  to  those 
membeijs  of  thcsofter  sex  who  worship  Minerva  under  the  garb  of  her 
youthful  followers  of  the  Quartier  Latin.  The  garden  of  the  ChaumiSre  is 
laid  out  in  shady  walks — 

*  Time  out  of  mind  the  favourite  haunts  of  love ' 

The  dancing  here  is  rather  more  liveli/  than  at  the  place  already  described, 
and  might  possibly  elicit  an  austere  shake  of  the  head  of  a  sombre  moral- 
ist, who  might  also  think  the  walks  above  alluded  to  somewhat  too 
shady."  ' 

"  Where  am  I  to  conduct  you  ?"  turning  himself  round 
0©  his  box  to  receive  my*'orders,  said  the  oonntenance,  but  not 


ZA  GRANDE  GHAUMIERE. 


405 


tlie  lips,  of  the  driver  of  a  citadine  in  which  I  had  all  of  a 
sudden  seated  myself  at  nine  o'clock  at  night. 

"  A  la  Grande  Chaumiere  !"  I  replied. 

"  Tres-bien,  Monsieur  !"  said  the  man  who,  suiting,  as  he 
thought,  his  action  to  the  word,  gave  the  poor  horse  a  hard 
cut  with  his  whip. 

We  went  I  hardly  knew  where,  turning  and  twisting  for 
about  half  an  hour ;  at  last,  when  close  to  the  Barriere 
d'Enfer,  the  carriage  stopped,  and  I  was  informed  we  had  ar- 
rived at  the  point  of  my  destination. 

As  soon  as  I  had  paid  my  drivel'  I  saw  before- me,  illumi- 
nated with  lamps,  two  lodges,  at  one  of  which  I  was  required, 
as  usual,  to  leave  my  stick,  and  at  the  other,  before  which  a 
sentinel  was  pacing,  to  pay  a  trifle  for  admission. 

These  preliminaries  having  been  concluded,  I  walked 
slowly  along  a  broad  sanded  path,  lighted  by  variegated 
lamps,  and  bounded  on  each  side  by  great '  cubical  green 
wooden  boxes,  containing  very  large  orange  trees.  As  I  pro- 
ceeded I  heard  before  me  a  band  playing,  and  occasionally  a 
strange  rumbling  noise  like  thunder.  On  my  right  I  indis- 
tinctly saw  the  figures  of  several  people,  principally  la'dies,  joy- 
ously whirling  in  a  circle  on  whirligig  horses ;  at  last,  after 
passing  under  a  bower,  I  came  all  at  once  on  the  grand  es- 
planade, on  which,  under  the  canopy  of  heaven,  in  an  open-air 
ball-room,  beneath  a  magnificent  chandelier  of  thirty  large 
cut-glass  lamps,  with  fifteen  more  of  the  same  form  round  the 
magic  circle,  I  perceived  the  heads  of  about  thirty  or  forty 
couple  of  happy  people,  waltzing  in  time  to  a  band  Of  fourteen 
instruments  seated  on  an  elevated  covered  platform,  shelter- 
ed by  a  boarded  roof  through  which  passed  the  stems  of  two 
large  umbrageous  trees,  besides  which,  by  other  trees  the  re- 
mainder of  the  esplanade' was  also  overshadowed. 

Around  the  railing  which  enclosed  the  dancers  were  seat- 
ed in  chairs  a  crowd  of  young  people,  more  or  less  hot,  who 
had  either  taken  part  in  the  dance  or  were  waiting  to  do  so, 
also  a  number  of  colder  and  older  ones  acting  the  part  only  of 
spectators.  At  each  end  of  the  dancing  ellipse  there  stood 
erect,  in  uniform,  low  cocked  hat,  and  a  straight  sword,  point- 
ing like  a  lightning  conductor  to  the  ground,  a  sergent  de 
ville  attentively  watching,  by  order  of  the  police,  the  move- 
ments of  the  dancers.     On  the  outside  of  the  persons  seated 


jf 


406 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


in  chairs,  sauntering,  talking,  and  listening  to  the  music,  was 
a  moving  crowd,  among  whom  were  conspicuous  the  white 
belts,  shining  sword-handles,  and  scarlet  epaulettes  of  several, 
soldiers. 

Immediately  facing  the  band,  and  on  the  left  of  the  en- 
trance, there  appeared,  surrounded  by  a  border  full  of  pots 
containing  beautiful  flowers,  an  elevated  refreshment  platform, 
brilliantly  lighted,  and  full  of  tables,  from  which  people, 
luxuriously  sipping  coffee,  punch,  lemonade,  &c.,  were  look- 
ing, over  the  heads  of  the  walking  and  sitting  company,  at  the 
young,  dancing  beneath  lamps  and  the  green  branches  of 
horse-chestnut  trees  in  flower.  As  they  sat,  the  mysterious 
rumbling  sound,  occasionally  for  a  moment  overpowered,  and 
then  dying  away,  harmoniously  blenrled  with  the  music. 

Whenever  the  dancing,  merely  to  give  a  short  interval  of 
rest  to  the  players,  suddenly  ceased,  everybody  appeared  in- 
stinctively to  stroll  into  a  labyrinth  of  little  intricate  dark 
paths,  shaded  by  trees  and  bounded  by  perpendicular  embank- 
ments about  two  feet  high.  Here  and  there,  like  angels'  visits, 
"  few  and  far  between,"  there  twinkled,  father  than  shone,  a 
little  lamp.  Here  and  there  was  ingeniously  carved  out  of 
the  happy  chaos  a  small  dark  circular  space,  containing  some- 
times two  or  three  plain,  imassuming  rush-bottomed  stools,  for 
people  to  sit  and  talk  on,  and  sometimes,  in  addition  to  these 
simple  luxuries,  a  little  table.  In  this  chiaroscuro  picture 
there  was  occasionally  a  sort  of  dreamy  appearance  of  waiters, 
in  white  aprons,  hurrying  forwards  with  white  coffee  cups  in 
trays. 

As  I  happened  not  to  be  wearing  a  gold-edged  cocked  hat, 
gaudy  epaulettes,  shining  buttons,  but  on  the  contrary  was 
dressed  from  hat  to  foot  in  dark  apparel,  I  glided  through  this 
scene  I  believe  almost  unobserved,  and  yet,  as  I  was  not  alto- 
gether unobserving,  I  must  do  it  and  the  Grande  Chaumi^re 
the  justice  to  say,  that  neither  in  the  dancing  nor  in  the  laby- 
rinths did  I  witness  anything  to  complain  of  A  great  many  very 
young  people  were,  with  a  great  deal  of  animation,  emphasis, 
and  gesture,  certainly  endeavouring  to  explain  to  each  gther  a 

freat  many  things,  probably  of  no  very  great  importance,  but 
can  faithfully  declare  that  I  saw  no  quarrelling  nor  miscon- 
duct of  any  sort. 

As  at  the  last  blast  and  scraping  stroke  of  the  band  the 


LA  GRANDE  CHAUMIEBE. 


m 


SIC,  was 


rumbling  noise  I  have  alluded  to  invariably  began  to  increase 
and  to  recur  at  shorter  intervals,  I  resolved  to  worm  my  way 
to  the  point  from  which  it  invariably  proceeded,  and  accord- 
ingly, returning  to  the  dancing  esplanade,  I  proceeded  from  it 
along  a  broad  path,  on  the  right  of  which  I  passed  an  inclined 
billiard-table,  covered  with  green  cloth,  lighted  by  three  bright 
lamps,  and  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  people  who  were  playing 
for  prizes — little  china  ornaments  very  alluringly  displayed. 
Proceeding  in  my  course,  I  soon  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  sort 
of  square  scaffolding,  containing  a  small  winding  staircase, 
which,  on  ascending,  led  me  to  diminutive  platforms  one  above 
another,  in  succession,  like  a  Swiss  cottage.  On  reaching  the 
summit  I  found  myself  on  a  level  with  a  platform  surrounded 
by  trellis-work,  about  thirty  feet  square,  at  the  edge  of  which 
I  perceived  a  sentinel  in  uniform  standing  by  the  side  of  an 
old  woman  seated  before  a  little  table,  who,  as  soon  as  I  camo 
up  to  her,  said  to  me  very  civilly — 

"  Cinq  sous.  Monsieur,  s'il  vous  plait."* 

I  had  long  been  yearning  to  pay  something  to  somebody, 
and,  accordingly,  with  great  pleasure  I  put  into  her  withered 
hand  the  twopence  halfpenny  she  desired.  On  the  little  ele- 
vated platform,  over  which  the  sentinel  and  this  old  woman, 
like  Mars  and  Venus,  presided,  I  perceived,  arranged  in  three 
lines,  eighteen  very  easy  padded  arm-chairs  each  on  four  iron 
wheels.  In  one  a  young  gentleman  had  just  seated  a  young 
lady  ;  and  he  had  scarcely  taken  possession  of  another  chair 
himself,  when,  as  if  I  were  detaining  them,  as  indeed  I  uncon- 
sciously was,  two  men  in  blouses,  pointing  to  a  third  chair, 
energetically  beckoned  to  me  to  advance.  I  did  so  ;  and  one 
of  the  men  had  scarcely  passed  a  leather  strap  across  my 
stomach  when  we  all  three  were  slowly  pushed  along  our  res- 
pective set  of  parallel  rails  to  the  edge  of  a  Montagne  Russe, 
down  which,  with  an  astounding  thundering  noise,  and  between 
lamps  that  seemed  to  flash  as  we  passed  them,  we  rushed,  un- 
til, on  reaching  the  bottom,  leaving  their  rails,  the  three  chairs 
run  over  some  loose  tan,  until,  eventually,  they  slightly  bump- 
ed against  a  wall  padded  with  a  woolsack.  The  instant  this 
occurred,  without  allowing  me  a  moment's  reflection  on  what  I 
had  been  doing,  or  rather  on  what  I  had  done,  four  or  five  men 
rushed  towards  us,  unhooked  our  three  straps,  handed  us  out 
of  our  chairs,  and  then,  passing  through  a  gate,  in  less  than 

*  Five  sous,  Sir,  if  you  please. 


^Od 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


two  minates  from  the  time  I  had  been  launched  from  the  ^hA^. 
jjfbrm,  we  were  all — ^iust  as  if  nothing  had  happened-— quietly 
sauntering  among  the  crowd. 

On  returning  to  the  band  I  stood  for  two  or  three  minutes 
close  to  one  of  the  serffents  de  yille  ( Anglio6,  policemen)  watch- 
ing the  dancers,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  observ- 
ing that  the  ladies  were  waltzing  not  onlv  in  bonnets,  but 
in  their  cloaks  of  silk,  and  occasionally  of  velvet,  which  of 
course  made  them  look  hot  and  olumsy;  On  the  right,  at 
about  thirty  yards  from  the  circle  in  which,  in  the  open  air, 
they  were  enjoying  themselves,  I  found  a  large,  long,  low, 
boarded,  unlighted  ball-room,  with  a  series  of  looking-glasses 
opposite  the  windows.  In  it,  although  it  was  almost  dark, 
four  young,  foolish  people,  were  dancing. 

There  now  began  to  blister  up  in  my  mind  a  desire  to  know 
how  the  chair  on  which  I  had  so  lately  been  precipitated  from 
the  platform  was  ever  to  get  back'  to  it  ?  and  as  I  felt  myself 
incompetent  to  determine  the  problem,  I  asked  one  of  these 
young  dancers,  who  at  the  moment  with  his  partner  on  his  arm 
was  resting  from  his  labour,  to  be  so  good  as  to  explain  it ; 
and  no  sooner  did  he  tell  me  of  what  the  power  consisted  than 
I  determined  I  would  not  leave  the  gardens  until  I  had  search- 
ed it  out.  Accordingly,  returning  towards  the  series  of  plat- 
forms by  which  I  had  ascended,  1  looked  about  me  in  all  di- 
rections, until)  passing  under  an  arch  which  supported  the 
summit  of  the  artificial  Montague  Busse,  I  saw  on  my  right  a 
dark-looking  cell,  containing  about  a  dozen  old  chairs  ;  beyond 
it  I  heard  a  slight  but  unceasing  noise,  and,  proceeding  to- 
wards it,  I  found,  attached  firmly  by  a  wooden  yolk  to  the 
outer  extremity  of  a  triangle  of  beams,  one  of  which  was  re- 
volving perpendicularly,  a  thin,  powerful  horse,  with  blindfold- 
ed eyes,  and  with  his  head  drawn  by  a  strap  sideways.  Within 
a  little  track  hollowed  out  by  his  own  feet,  he  was  slowly  walk- 
ing round  and  round  a  square  log-house,  just  large  enough  for 
his  circle.  As  long  as  the  band  was  playing  he  enjoyed  com- 
parative rest ;  as  soon  as  it  ceased  he  knew  that  he  would  be 
set  to  work.  The  sound  of  human  feet  ascending  the  series  of 
platforms  warned  him  that  his  labour  was  approaching.  The 
merry  voice  of  happiness  above  him  told  him  that  he  ii;iust 
soon  suffer ;  and  whenever  the  heavy  chains  rolled  like  thun- 
der over  his  head,  he  knew  but  too  well  that  he  would  be  oblig- 
ed by  main  force  to  pull  them  all  up  again.    In  short,  when 


LA  ORANLE  CHAUMIERE. 


409 


the  company  were  happy,  he  worked;  as  the  evening  advan- 
ced, his  labour  increased ;  and  it  was  exactly  in  proportion  as 
the  strength  and  spirits  of  the  visiters  flagged,  that  he  enjoy- 
ed longer  and  longer  intervals  of  rest.  From  the  top  of  a  tall 
post  a  small  lamp  shone  upon  him,  but  he  was  blindfolded  and 
could  not  see  it;  its  flickering  light,  however,  piercing  the 
dark,  lofty,  mysterious-looking  space  above  him,  faintly  shone 
on  a  variety  of  beams  one  over  another. 

As  I  was  looking  at  the  poor  creature  his  pace  gradually 
slackened  till  it  stopped,  "  Ae  i"  exclaimed  a  voice  abovo  us. 
The  animal  did  not  obey  it.  "  A-i-i !" — he  continued  to  stand 
still.  "  A-i-i-e !" — he  immediately  leant  heavily  forwards  and 
put  the  machinery  into  motion.  "  Aiie,  sacve !"  exclaimed 
the  voice,  on  which  he  immediately  quickened  his  pace ;  and 
he  was  working,  I  thought,  very  steadily,  when  suddenly  the 
little  lamp  feebly  illuminated  the  form  of  a  man  who,  entering 
close  to  where  I  stood,  hastily  walked  towards  the  horse.  He 
had  no  whip,  but  he  went  up,  walked  alongside  of,  and  did 
something  to  him — I  suppose  he  pricked  him,  for  the  poor 
jaded  creature  instantly  increased  his  pace,  and  for  a  few  steps, 
straining  his  hind  fetlocks,  hurried  rapidly  round  his  doom. 

I  had  now  been  at  the  Grande  Chaumiere  nearly  an  hour, 
and  as  I  had  seen  all  that — and,  as  regards  its  horse,  rather 
more  than — I  desired,  I  returned  to  the  esplanade,  retraced 
my  steps  along  the  illumined  path,  until,  reaching  the  two 
lodges,  I  redeemed  my  stick  and  with  it  walked  out. 


On  coming  outside  the  gate  the  driver  of  a  citadine  asked 
me  where  he  could  conduct  me  ?  and  as  at  the  moment  I  was 
thinking  I  should  much  like  to  see  a  specimen  of  the  lowest 
description  of  the  balls  of  Paris,  I  desired  him  to  drive  to  one 
which,  on  my  naming  it  to  him,  he  told  me  was  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood.  Accordingly,  in  a  few  minutes  he  de- 
posited me  close  to  a  very  large  house,  two  stories  high, 
with  twelve  windows  in  front,  all  glaring  with  internal  light. 
On  the  walls  of  the  uppermost  story  there  appeared  in  largo 
letters 

'*  A  LA  VILLB  DE  ToMNlltE  ',"* 

-  --'  -  -  -     -'■■-■   "'"■   ■■  "-  ■ ..    f  ■'  .■'-■■  .-' 

*  The  city  of  Tonn^re. 

•  .,.:.  /   ;_•.    48..   .......  .    ......-::.; 


410 


A  FAOOOT  OF  FSENCn  STICKS, 


and  beneath,  "•  Salons  de  1200  couverts  poar  nooes  et  ban- 
quets."* 

On  entering  I  saw  on  the  ground-floor,  in  different  places, 
the  words  "  Caf6,"  "  Restaurateur,"  "  Billiards,"  »nd  at  the 
bottom  of  a  staircase  a  little  bureau,  at  irhioh  I  paid  for  ad- 
mission a  few  sous.  On  reaching  its  isummit  I  entered  a 
large  room,  lighted  by  four  chandeliers  and  sixteen  single 
gas-burners  surrounded  by  upright  glass  shades,  containing 
seventy  little  tables,  ranged  around  it,  so  as  to  leave  in  the 
centre  ample  space  for  dancing.  Over  the  windows,  which 
ivere  all  open,  was  a  scarlet  frame  froih  which  hung,  waving 
occasionally  in  the  air,  exceedingly  clean  white  muslin  cur- 
tains. The  walls  painted  in  oak  were  varnished,  the  floor 
had  been  watered.  Above,  in  aii  orchestra,  were,  under  the 
command  of  a  thin,  intelligent,  bald-headed  master,  with 
mustachios  like  a  rat,  a  band  of  seven  iiiUsicians,  and  one  dog 
ii^ith  a  white  napkin  tied  round  his  body.  Around  the  tables, 
each  of  which  was  covered  with  a  White  linen  cloth,  were 
ranged  a  number  of  people,  looking  at  others  dancing.  I 
seated  myself  at  one,  and  by  the  utterance  of  the  two  words 
"  Gar9on,  cafS !"  I  found  no  one  took  the  slightest  notice  of 
me.  Among  the  spectators  •who,  like  myself,  were  sipping 
either  wine  or  coffee,  I  observed  two  soldiers  of  the  garde  re- 
publicaine,  and  two  of  cavalry  ;  the  elegant  bright  brass  hel- 
mets, with  polished  steel  fronts,  of  the  latter  were  lying  on 
the  table,  their  sabres  were  leaning  Against  the  wall.  Several 
of  the  party  were  in  blouses,  three  or  four  in  white  linen 
smock-frocks,  and  the  remainder  in  the  dress  of  the  lowest 
classes  of  bourgeois. 

All  the  dancers,  as  well  as  those  leafed,  had  their  hats 
oh,  excepting  one  of  the  two  dragoons  (he  had  a  horsehoe  on 
his  arm),  who  danced  not  only  wiuiout  his  helmet  but  without 
his  stock — the  reason,  I  suppose,  being  that  his  scarlet  trou- 
sers, lined  all  round  the  bottom,  all  inside  the  legs,  and  also 
up  in  front,  with  stout  black  leather,  inade  him  feel  a  little 
Warm; — one  man  wore  a  tremendous  beard.  The  ladies, 
many  of  whom  were  upwards  of  forty,  were  all  overladen 
with  clothes  which  came  up  to  their  throats,  and  which  made 
them  get  and  appear  very  hot ;  indeed,  it  made  me  feel  hot 
too,  even  to  look  at  them. 

^  Aoconunodation  for  1200  persons— for  taaniages  and  partieak 


,,    I 


ZA  GRANDE  CHAUMIEBE. 


411 


I,  the  floor 


"  Voulez-vous,  Monsieur,"  said  to  me  a  waiter  in  a  ite 
apron,  as  he  passed  me  with  a  small  tray  in  his  hand, 
"  Voulez-vous,  Monsieur,  que  je  vous  cherche  une  dame  ?"* 
Pointing  to  my  little  oak  stick  on  the  table,  I  shook  my 
head  very  infirmly  and  said  "Non !" 

The  dancing  was  rough,  and  much  more  inelegant  than  I 
expected  to  see  in  France.  There  was  a  vast  deal  of  rude 
joy  demonstrated  by  kicking  out  violently  sideways,  some- 
times with  one  leg  and  then  with  the  other.  The  improprie- 
ties, of  which  I  had  heard  much,  and  which  I  had  been  assur- 
ed were  such  that  no  Englishwoman  of  any  description  could 
witness  them,  consisted — 

>  1.  Of  the  gentleman  in  waltzing  not  only  swinging  his 
partner  enough  to  pull  her  arms  off,  but  also  sometimes  actu- 
ally swinging  her  legs  off — the  ground. 

2.  Of  the  gentleman  in  waltzing  invariably  placing  one 
hand  on  his  partner's  thickly  wadded  shoulders,  and  the 
other  on  her  gown  at  too  great  a  distance  below  her  waist. 

3.  Of  the  gentleman  occasionally  ending  waltzing  by 
giving  his  partner,  during  a  period  of  about  six  seconds, 
a  downright,  or  rather  upright,  good,  jolly,  unmistakable 
hug. 

4.  After  the  dance  was  over,  of  both  ladies  and  gentlemen 
sitting  together  at  their  tables,  refreshing  themselves  by  sip- 
ping from  soup-plates  hot  sugared  wine  ;  in  doing  which  they 
occasionally  tapped  each  other's  glasses,  appearing  on  the 
whole  to  be  exceedingly  happy,  and  to  pay  no  attention  what- 
ever to  the  waiter,  who,  while  they  were  refreshing  themselves, 
was  occupied  in  watering  the  floor.  For  every  dance  each 
gentleman  was  required  to  pay  to  the  chancellor  of  the  exche- 
quer, who  collected  it  from  him  then  and  there,  the  sum  of  four 
sous.  (N.  B.  It  was  to  obtain  this  twopence  that  the  waiter 
had,  apparently  so  kindly,  proposed  ''de  me  cheroher  une 
dame.")     The  ladies  were  allowed  to  exercise  gratis. 

Having  now,  as  is  common  in  fashionable  life,  attended  two 
balls  in  one  night,  I  bade  adieu  to  the  merry  dance,  at  a  mo< 
ment  when  the  young  farrier  without  his  stock  was  particularly 
distinguishing  himself. 

On  descending  the  staircase  a;  d  walking  along  the  passage 

*  Would  you  like  me,  Sir,  to  get  you  a  partner  I 


412 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 


into  the  avenue,  I  got  into  a  'bus  that  was  just  starting,  and, 
Btoppinff  close  to  the  column  on  the  Place  de  Vendbme,  I  got 
out,  without  any  headache,  within  twenty  yards  of  my  home. 


■■•»» 


THE  NATIONAL  ASSEMBLY. 


While  I  was  walkine  across  the  Pont  de  la  Concorde,  and, 
indeed,  long  before  I  had  approached  it,  I  saw  at  a  distance, 
immediately  before  me,  the  magnificent  faqade  of  the  National 
Assembly,  consisting  of  a  triangular  pediment,  100  feet  long, 
supported  by  twelve  Corinthian  columns,  resting  on  a  'oroad 
pavement,  appro&ched  from  the  bridge  by  twenty-nine  steps  of 
the  whole  length  of  the  faqade. 

The  bas-relief  is  composed  of  a  figure  1 4  feet  high,  represent- 
ing France  holding  in  her  right  hand  the  Constitution.  Beside 
her  are  Force  and  Justice,  with  groups  of  figures,  allegorically 
personifying  Peace,  Elomience,  Industry,  Commerce,  Agricul- 
ture, the  River  Seine,  the  Kiver  Marne,the  Navy,  and  the  Army. 
At  the  foot  of  the  whole  is  a  strong,  tall,  iroL  ailing,  to  protect 
the  members  of  the  Assembly  from  being  suddonly,  as  they 
were  on  the  15th  May,  1848,  ousted  from  their  seats  by  the  mob. 
As  the  gates  in  these  railings  were  closed,  and  as  the  long  steps 
and  the  exalted  broad  stone  platform  beneath  the  pediment 
were  swarming  alive  with  armed  soldiers,  who,  lolling  in  vari- 
ous attitudes,  or  moving  slowly  one  among  another,  presented 
a  confused  mixture  of  greyish-blue  and  scarlet  cloth,  glittering 
brass  ornaments,  walnut-wood  and  cold  steel,  on  reachiDg  the 
Assembly  I  inquired  for  the  gate  of  entrance,  and,  according 
to  the  instructions  I  received,  turning  to  the  left,  I  walked 
round  the  building  till  I  came  to  a  lofty  gateway  on  my  right, 
which  conducted  me  into  a  large  court,  where  I  wandered  about, 
till  again,  finding  myself  surrounded  by  soldiers,  I  was  direct- 
ed by  one  of  them  to  rather  a  small  door,  on  entering  which  I 
was  requested  to  leave  my  little  stick,  in  lieu  of  which  I  re- 
ceived a  ticket.  Ascending  a  small  staircase,  I  found  a  door- 
keeper, who  not  only  conducted  me  into  the  "Tribune  du 
Corps  Diplomatique,"  for  which  I  had  a  ticket,  but  who  within 


THE  NATIONAL  ASSEMBLY. 


413 


it  sold  to  me,  for  a  frano,  a  most  valuable  plan  of  the  Assem* 
bly,  showing  the  particular  desk  and  the  name  of  every  one  of 
its  members.  On  taking  my  seat,  I  observed  to  him  that  he 
and  I  were  the  only  persons  in  the  house,  which,  he  explained 
to  me,  was  from  my  having  come  half  an  hour  too  soon.  I, 
however,  d^d  not  regret  my  mistake,  as  it  gave  me  an  opportu- 
nity of  quietly  looking  around  me. 

The  construction  and  interior  arrangements  of  the  building 
are  so  simple  and  so  sensibly  adapted  S)r  its  object,  that  at  a 
single  glance  it  is  easily  understood.  The  house  is  in  the 
horseshoe  form.  At  the  heel  end,  surrounded,  in  front,  by  a 
small  empty  space,  ajid  on  each  side  by  two  others  called  the 
"  c6t6  gauche"  and  "  c6te  droit,"  is  the  platform  of  the  Presi- 
dent, on  which,  elevated  about  six  feet  above  the  floor  of  the 
house,  appear  his  desk,  an  ordinary  library  writing-table,  sup- 
ported in  front  by  four  brass  legs,  and  his  elbow  chair,  a  size 
larger  than  that  usual  in  a  library.  Behind,  on  the  same  plat- 
form, but  about  a  foot  lower,  stand,  with  their  backs  against 
the  wall,  six  common,  English-looking  mahogany  dining-room 
chairs,  with  black  horse-hair  seats ;  and  on  the  right  and  left, 
and  about  three  feet  below,  a  line  of  eight  chairs  and  desks  for 
secretaries.  Beneath,  and  immediately  in  front  of  the  Presi- 
dent's chair,  is  the  "  tribune"  or  pulpit,  from  which  every  mem- 
ber may  be  required  to  speak,  composed  of  a  very  small  plat- 
form, about  three  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  house,  bounded  in 
front  only  by  a  low  narrow  table,  about  eight  feet  long,  and 
about  a  foot  broad,  covered  with  red  velvet,  which  screens  and 
conceals  about  the  lower  half  of  the  speaker's  person.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  house,  excepting  its  narrow  floor,  is  composed 
of  eleven  tiers  of  seats,  rising,  like  those  of  an  ancient  amphi- 
theatre, one  above  another,  and  intersected  at  right  angles  by 
twelve  narrow  passages,  radiating,  by  twenty  steps,  upwards 
from  the  floor  to  the  hexagonal  walls  of  that  portion  of  the 
house  occupied  by  members.  Each  tier,  which  is  two  steps 
higher  than  that  beneath,  is  subdivided  into  separate  desks, 
behind  each  of  which  is  a  seat  with  iron  elbows,  covered  with 
green  cloth,  by  which  arrangement  750  members,  whose  faces 
more  or  less  converge  upon  the  tribune,  are  completely  separat- 
ed one  from  the  other. 

The  interior  of  the  house,  which  has  plenty  of  light  and 
air,  is  exceedingly  plain.  On  the  wall,  at  the  back  of  the  Pre- 
sident's chair,  is  inscribed,  in  gold  letters, — 


414 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


**  BApubliquic  FRANyAni^  * ' 

FoATxaNim" 

Round  the  walls,  which  have  been  painted  of  a  dingy  iight 
grey,  appear  arranged,  in  various  wajrs,  sixty-two  tricolor  flags. 
The  members'  desks  are,  in  front,  painted  oak-colour ;  behind, 
covered  with  green  cloth.  The  ceiling  is  very  coarsely  white- 
washed ;  the  floor  of  the  house  and  the  President's  platform 
are  covered  with  crimson  carpet.  The  prevailing  colours  of 
the  whole  therefore  are  oak,  green,  and  crimson. 

The  upper  surface  of  each  of  the  members'  desks,  which 
are  about  the  breadth  of  an  ordinary  dining-room  chair,  and 
pretty  closely  packed,  are  as  like  those  of  schoolboys  as  can 
well  be  imagined ;  that  is  to  say,  they  are  of  common  wood,  well 
spotted  with  ink,  with  a  little  lid  that  opens.  The  stock  in 
trade  of  each  consists  of  a  tiny  round  inkstand,  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  diameter,  let  into  the  desk ;  a  steel  pen ;  half  a 
quire  of  note  paper ;  an  upright  slit  for  holding  envelopes,  and 
a  hole  for  wafers.  On  some  of  the  desks  were  lying  quite  na- 
turally ^'  blue  books,"  in  quarto. 

Tne  ventilation  of  the  house  appears  to  have  been  very 
carefully  attended  to.  In  the  ceiling  are  nine  large  circular 
ventilators ;  and  in  a  sort  of  entresol,  between  the  upper 
and  lower  galleries,  which,  divided  into  various  compart* . 
ments  for  different  descriptions  of  strangers,  extend  round 
the  walls  nearly  the  whole  of  the  house,  there  are  eighty 
more.  In  the  upper  windows,  occupying  a  space  where  there 
exist  only  one  set  of  galleries,  are  twenty  panes  of  glass  that 
can  be  opened ;  and  in  the  floor  of  the  house  I  counted  six 
large  air-holes.  Lastly,  in  the  walls  directly  opposite  to  the 
speaker,  as  also  in  the  walls  on  his  right  and  left,  are  three 
large  clocks  constantly  ticking  to  each  other. 

Before  any  member  had  made  his  appearance  there  entered 
at  the  door  on  the  right  of  the  President's  platform  six  or  eight 
well-dressed,  closely-shaved  persons, — in  white  neck-cloths, 
black  coats,  black  waistcoats,  black  trousers,  black  gaiters,  shiny 
shoes,  and  swords  with  glittering  silver  hilts, — ^who,  tra- 
versing the  chamber  in  all  directions,  kept  dropping  on  the 
tables  of  the  members  a  pamphlet-copy  of  tiie  bill  for  debate. 
Three  of  these  persons  had  on  the  left  breasts  of  their  black 
coats  a  long  piece  of  bright  scarlet  ribbon,  to  which  was  ap- 
pended a  sUver  medal. 


THE  NATIONAL  ASSEUBLY, 


415 


At  five  minutci  before  two,  three  or  four  members  strolled 
in,  with  their  hats  on  ;  thea  came  in  two,  then  three,  then  seyen 
or  eight ;  until  in  a  very  short  time  the  floor  of  the  house  waa 
completely  eovored ;  besides  which,  several  members,  who  had 
taken  possessioi  of  their  seats,  were  already  opening  their  desks, 
and  ferreting  within  them.  Most  of  the  legislators  were  well 
dressed,  in  dark  coats  and  waistcoats,  with  grey  trousers.  A 
very  few  had  waistcoats  of  dark  cheque,  but  none  at  all  fine. 
Their  countenances,  generally  speaking,  were  highly  intelligenfe 
and  intellectual. 

Of  the  two  tiers  of  galleries  on  the  right  and  left,  behind  • 
the  speaker's  platform,  the  front  seats  were  entirely  occupied, 
by  ladies  ;  among  the  remaining  benches,  principally  occupied 
by  the  softer  sex,  were  here  and  there  a  sprinkling  of  rougher  r 
faces.     On  the  left  of  the  dock,  in  front  of  the  speaker,  th«  ^ 
galleries  were  crammed  full  of  soldiers.     Immediately  on  my 
right  was  the  "  Tribune  du  President  de  la  B6publiquo."  Before 
me  were  the  ''  tribunes"  or  galleries  for  the  press.     On  the 
whole,  the  coup  d'ceil  of  the  well'ventilated  house  was  exceed*  • 
ingl^  plain,  grave,  compact,  and  on  a  plan  admirably  adapted  \ 
ioit  its  object.  , 

All  of  a  sudden,  three  or  four  of  the  gentlemen  in  black 
clothes,  scarlet  ribbons,  medals,  and  straight  swords,  entering 
with  hurried  pomp,  cried  out,  "Ohapeaux  has  I  s'il  vous 
plait  1"*  and  after  a  short  pause,  there  walked  in,  beardless 
and  closely  shaved,  the  President  or  Speaker— it  was  not  M. 
Dupin — dressed  in  a  black  stock,  black  coat,  with  a  small  piece 
of  red  ribbon  peeping  ou^<  of  a  button-hole,  French-grey  trous- 
ers, and  boots.  With  the  perfect  ease  of  a  gentleman,  he  sat 
down,  smiled,  looked  up  behind,  first  over  his  right  shoulder, 
and  then  over  his  left,  at  the  gallery  full  of  ladies,  rubbed  his 
hands  together,  and,  .after  a  minute  or  two's  most  agreeaJble 
rumiif^t  on,  he  made  a  little  bell  with  a  horizontal  handle  be- 
fore him  doubly  strike  its  dapper  three  times.  A  clerk  below 
him  instantly  read  the  head  of  some  paper,  which  nobody  seemed 
to  eare  about.  Ho  then,  just  as  if  the  work  of  the  day  was  all 
over,  relapsed  into  easy  enjoyment,  and  for  some  time  talked 
to  a  member,  who,  with  an  elbow  on  his  desk,  rested  his  head 
on  his  hand.  Throughout  the  chamber  was  a  general  good* 
humoured  buzz  of  conversation. 

*Ha|spfi;ifT0U]|>l4||sei 


416 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


^  The  house  was  now  very  full ;  and  I  was  surprised  to  Wrw 
ceiye  that,  excepting  in  the  upper  rows  of  benches  on  the  left, 
occupied  by  the  party  Bouge,  or  radicals,  there  were  fewer 
beards  than,  on  an  average,  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting 
in  the  streets.  In  a  button-hole  in  the  coats  of  a  great  many 
was  a  slight  appearance,  about  as  broad  as  a  piece  of  bobbin,  of 
a  red  rilmon. 

Behind  the  President,  on  his  right  and  left,  on  the  platform 
on  which  he  himself  sat,  and  immediately  beneath  the  inscrip- 
tion, Liberty,  Fraternity,  Egalit^,  were  two  tables,  occupied  by  six 
clerks,  one  of  whom,  in  black  clothes  and  a  long  beard,  I  repeat- 
edly observed  intently  mending  a  long  white  goose-quill  pen ;  ano- 
ther, also  in  black,  wore  a  bright  scarlet  ribbon ;  another  a  lon^ 
scarlet  one,  and  also  a  long  yellow  one.  In  front  of  the  Presi- 
dent, on  his  right  and  left,  but  below  him  appeared  also  dressed 
in  black,  and  seated  in  chairs,  eight  secretaries  undecorated. 

The  buzz  of  oonyersation  lasted  nearly  half  an  hour ;  the 
floor  of  the  house  was  covered  with  members  in  groups  ;  and  I 
was  admiring  the  scene,  and  inwardly  wishing  its  simplicity 
and  sensible  arrangements  could  be  copied  by  the  British 
House  of  Commons,  when  three  consecutive  double  rings  of  the 
President's  little  bell  were  followed  by  a  call,  by  the  black-coated 
gentlemen  with  silver-hilted  swords,  of  "  En  place  t  en  place  I"* 
2  i  The  President,  totally  unsupported  by  any  distinction  of 
dress,  struck  the  table  with  a  ruler,  and  then  rang  again.  At 
this  moment  a  man  in  black,  ascending  the  steps  of  his  plat- 
form, brought  him,  in  a  white  soup-plate,  a  tumUer  full  of  yel- 
low-looking water,  apparently  wealk  lemonade.  "  En  place !  en 
place  !"  resounded  from  all  parts  of  the  house.  The  President 
rang  again,  struck  the  table  again  with  his  ruler,  waved  it  at 
an  unruly  member,  shook  bis  head  violently  in  disapproba- 
tion, and,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  all  of  a  sudden,  and  in 
one  single  instant,  just  as  if  a  wasp  had  stung  him,  he  ad- 
dressed the  house  in  a  state  of  extraordinary  excitement. 

As  soon  as  order  was  obtained,  a  member  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  said  a  few  words  whici  elicited  loud  sounds  of  objeo- 
tion.  He  instantly  fell  into  an  astonishing  passion :  shaking 
his  right  hand  at  the  Bouge  party  on  the  upper  benches,  who 
answer od  him  furiously,  he  became  most  violently  exoited,  ]an< 
til,  suddenly  stopping,  he  sat  down  in  a  regular  rage. 

The  second  speaker,  who,  from  the  tribune  below  the  Pr6«, 

*  Take  your  seats  t 


THE  NATIONAL  ASSEMBLY. 


417 


sident,  addressed  the  house  for  about  ten  minutes,  spoke  with 
more  energy  and  action  than  is  usual  among  Englishmen,  but 
with  great  propriety.  As,  however,  the  members  throughout 
the  house,  leaning  towards  each  other,  were  all  talking — indeed, 
apparently  no  one  was  listening  to  him — ^the  President,  some* 
times  sitting,  sometimes  standing  with  his  arms  hanging  down, 
and  sometimes  folding  them  across  his  breast,  repeatedly  tapped 
hard  with  his  ruler,  but  in  vain.  A  member,  stepping  into  the 
tribune,  replied  for  about  five  minutes  ;  then  the  first  speaker 
came  back  and  renewed  his  arguments  in  favor  of  inserting  in 
the  railway  bill  (which  I  now  began  to  understand  was  the 
subject  of  discussion)  a  clause,  insisting  on  a  third-class  car- 
riage  accompanying  every  train,  as  was,  he  said,  the  case  in 
England.  At  this  moment  M.  Thiers,  entering  at  the  door 
near  the  speaker,  slowly  walked  up  the  floor  of  the  house  to  his 
desk.  His  gait  was  plain,  quiet,  and  easy.  He  was  very  short, 
had  a  brown  face,  totally  devoid  of  any  other  colour,  and  gray, 
or  rather  grizzled,  hair. 

Directly '  opposite  to  me  were  Generals  Gavaignao  and 
Lamoriciere,  who  for  some  time  sat  talking  together.  General 
Cavaignac's  form  was  tall,  elegant,  and  erect ;  his  hair,  cut  close 
all  over,  was  a  little  bald  on  the  top.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
light  olive-green  coat,  buttoned  close  up,  so  as  to  show  no  shirt. 
With  great  apparent  aflfability  he  occasionally  conversed  with 
several  other  members ;  but  whenever  he  was  not  talking  he 
continued,  without  intermission,  whirling  his  eye-glass  very 
rapidly  round  the  forefinger  of  his  right  hand,  and  then  imme- 
diately whirling  it  as  rapidly  back  again. 

The  next  speaker,  on  addressing  the  house  from  his  seat, 
was  interrupted  by  murmurs  from  different  parts  of  the  house, 
of  "  On  n'entend  pas  !"*  A  great  disturbance  and  loud  cries 
continued,  which  forced  him  to  leave  his  seat  and  ascend  the 
tribune.  The  President  now  appeared  to  take  part  in  the  de- 
bate. He  called,  he  ranted,  he  rang,  but  no  one  appeared  to 
hear  either  him  or  his  bell.  At  this  moment  Lord  Normanby, 
the  British  Ambassador,  entered  the  "  Tribune  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Republic,"  and  separated  only  by  a  low  partition, 
sat  down  beside  me.  I  could  not  help  thinking  how  symbolic 
the  uncontrolled  and  uncontrollable  scene  before  us  was  of  the 
extreme  difficulties  he  must  occasionally  have  to  encounter. 

*  We  can't  hear  I 
18* 


418 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


As  80011  as  order  was  restored,  or  rather  as  soon  as  disor- 
der was  satiated,  several  members — *  few  from  their  seats,  but 
principally  from  the  tribune  —  made  short  speeches  on  the 
various  clauses  of  the  bill.  On  commencing,  a  glassful  of 
yellow  fluid,  in  a  white  saucer,  was  invariably  placed  at  their 
right  hand,  on  the  narrow  red  velvet  table  of  the  tribune,  by 
a  servant  in  a  blue  coat,  red  collar,  and  red  waistcoat.  Usu- 
ally just  before  they  began  to  speak  they  raised  it  to  their 
lips ;  in  the  middle  of  the  speeches  they  kept  sipping  it ;  and 
on  concluding,  as  a  sort  of  perquisite,  they  invariably,  on  leaving 
the  tribune,  swigged  off  whatever  was  left,  and  then  gently 
licking  their  lips,  and  sometimes  their  mustachios,  walked 
quietly  towards  their  seats.  Several,  in  the  course  of  their 
speeches,  drank  two  glasses  full. 

A  young  man  now  ascended  the  tribune,  and  with  a  su- 
perabundfince  of  galvanic-looking  action,  which  really  neither 
explained  nor  expressed  anything,  he  opposed,  in  a  short 
speech,  one  of  the  sixty  clauses  of  the  bill. 

The  next  member  began  his  speech  from  his  place.  A 
nuniber  of  voices  instantly  called  out,  "On  n'entend  pas!" 
on  which,  with  the  whole  energy  Of  his  mind,  he  gave  one 
great  cbnvubive  shrug  of  his  entire  person,  and  then  with 
great  dignity  walked  to  the  tribune. 

In  merely  explaining  that  the  line  he  advocated  would  be 
more  direct  from  Paris  to  Cherbourg  than  the  one  proposed 
in  the  bill,  he  threw  away  an  extraordinary  quanty  of  action, 
and  On  reading  a  long  list  of  cold  figures,  he  gradually  be- 
came so  miraculously  excited  —  he  got  into  such  a  violent 
perspiration,  and  evinced  so  much  activity  and  gesticulation 
— that  literally  I  expected  to  see  him  jump  over  the  rails  of 
the  tribune. 

One  of  the  ministers,  M.  Leon  Faucher,  now  rose,  and,  in 
repelling  some  accusations  which  had  been  made  against  tho 
Government,  spoke  with  more  than  English  energy^  but  with 
great  dignity,  eloquence,  and  eflfect.  In  the  course  of  his 
speech,  starting  up  from  his  seat  close  to  the  wall  on  the  up- 
permost line  of  benches  on  the  left,  one  of  the  Red  Republi- 
can members,  with  his  hair  almost  cut  to  the  quick,  with  a 
beard  nearly  a  foot  long,  and  with  his  right  arm  diagonally 
uplifted,  suddenly,  furiously,  and  very  loudly  exclaimed,  twice 


THE  NATIONAL  ASSEMBLY. 


419 


over,  alluding,  I  believe,  to  some  statement  in  the  Government 
newspaper,  "  (Test  un  calomnicUeur!"* 

On  M.  Thiers  ascending  the  tribune  a  marked  and  very 
complimentary  silence  prevailed.  Notwithstanding  the  dis- 
advantages of  his  voice,  which  is  not  only  little,  but  that  little 
squeaky,  he  spoke  with  great  ability  and  effect.  Occasionally 
his  wit  caused  from  all  parts  of  the  house  a  joyous  laugh  (de- 
scribed by  the  reporters  by  the  word  "  hilarit6  ").  Very  fre- 
quently, after  making  an  assertion,  he  interlaced  his  short 
arms  upon  his  chest,  but  almost  before  the  action — "  I  pause 
for  a  reply  !" — was  completed,  he  entirely  spoiled  its  dignity 
by  quickly  unfolding  them.  In  the  course  of  his  speech, 
which  was  not  long,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  I  saw  him 
drink  off,  one  after  another,  three  tumblers  of  the  light  yellow 
mixture. 

•*  Something  that  he  said  —  I  could  scarcely  comprehend  a 
word  of  it — seemed  suddenly  to  prick  very  acutely  the  feel- 
ings of  the  house,  for  he  was  contradicted  on  all  sides.  A 
general  conversation  took  place,  and  for  a  few  seconds  every- 
body seemed  as  vigorously  employed  in  making  the  utmost 
possible  noise  as  the  fiddlers  at  a  London  oratorio,  piled  above 
each  other  up  to  the  ceiling,  when  they  come  to  the  word 
"  Fortissimo?^ 

Amidst  this  scene,  or  rather  at  the  heel  end  of  it,  the  Pre- 
sident, on  his  platform,  sat  ringing, — then  arose, — then  stood 
beating  the  table, — ^then  waved  his  ruler  violently  at  an  un- 
ruly member, — then  shook  his  left  hand  quickly  in  disappro- 
bation,— and  then,  with  both  hands  uplifted,  appeared  as  if 
entreating, — ^but  to  no  purpose  whatever. 

Several  members  now  spoke ;  the  House,  however,  all  of  a 
sudden  appeared  to  be  tired ;  and  as  the  black  fingers  of  eacli 
of  the  three  clocks  pointed  to  6h.  5m.,  the  impatience  increas- 
ed. The  Speaker,  by  bell,  by  ruler,  and  by  actions  of  dumb 
entreaty,  endeavoured  to  prevail  on  the  House  to  allow  the 
speech  from  the  tribune  to  come  to  its  close.  Everybody, 
however,  seemed  to  object,  and  their  determination  reaching 
its  climax,  the  House,  at  6h.  10m.,  arose,  as  if  by  acciamaition, 
and  the  members,  crossinjg  each  other  in  various  dir^ctiQQSi 
all  w.4ked  oat. 


1;  He  is  a  calumniator ! 


420 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


On  coming  into  the  fresh  air  I  found  the  conrts  of  the' 
Assembly — as  I  had  left  them — swarming  alive  with  soldiers. 
In  various  directions  I  heard  sharp  words  of  command  follow- 
ed by  the  sound  of  butts  of  muskets  in  masses  heavily  strik- 
ing the  pavement.  On  passing  beneath  the  great  entrance 
arch,  from  the  summit  of  which  a  tricolor  flag  was  fliying,  and 
on  each  side  of  which  was  a  dragon  with  a  drawn  sword,  on 
horseback,  I  saw  before  me  a  large  clock,  and  beneath  it,  ia 
long  large  letters,  the  words 

.  r 

"LiBEaTB,  EOAUTX^    FBATBaMim" 

Lastly,  in  the  square  before  the  entrance-gate,  on  a  pedes- 
tal surrounded  by  iron  railings,  was  seated  a  colossal  statue, 
iiolding  in  her  left  hand  a  long  staff  surmounted  by  a  human 
hand ;  her  right  arm  was  resting  on  a  shield  or  tablet,  on 
which  was  deeply  engraved  in  large  letters — 


DROITS 

DE 

L'HOMME.* 


•  •  •■ 


LYONS  RAILWAY. 


Although  my  rapid  inspection  of  the  terminus  and  workshops 
of  the  "  Chemin  de  Fer  du  Nord"  had  made  me  slightly  ac- 
quainted with  the  mode  of  working  their  line  by  the  principal 
railway  company  in  France,  yet,  as  I  aifterwards  learned  that 
the  Paris  and  Lyons  railway  was  not  only  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  French  Government,  but  that  every  effort  had  been 
made  by  it  ^the  Government)  to  construct  the  line  on  the  most 
scientific  principles  that  could  be  devised,  I  obtained  from  the 
J'  Ing^nieur  en  Chef"  f  an  order,  stamped  and  signed,  author- 
ising me.  without  limitation,  to  enter  every  portion  of  the 
works  I  might  wish  to  inspect ;  and  as  he  was  further  obliging 
enough  to  provide  me  with  a  very  intelligent  guide,  I  proceeded 


*  The  Bights  of  Man. 


f  Chief  Engineer. 


!  ■      .h 


LYONS  RAILWAY. 


421 


to  the  metropolitan  terminas  of  this  important  railway,  for 
the  purpose  not  of  tediously  going  over  the  whole  of  its  de- 
tails, but  merely  to  make  that  sort  of  rapid  inspection  of  them 
which  would  enable  me  to  judge  whether  in  the  great  system 
of  the  French  there  existed  any  striking  new  arrangements 
which  might  profitably  be  adopted  by  our  railways  in  England. 
On  arriving  at  the  "  embarcadere"  or  metropolitan  terminus, 
situated  between  the  barri^res  of  Beroy  and  Gharenton,  close 
to  the  Boulevart  Mazas,  and  opposite  to  the  prison  of  that 
name,  I  was  conducted  by  my  guide  into  what  appeared  to  me 
— ^who  had  only  read  of  the  exhibition  in  London — to  be  a 
palace  of  glass,  into  which,  from  which,  and  under  which,  the 
various  carriages  employed  in  the  working  of  the  railway  either 
enter,  depart,  or  repose. 

This  magnificent  and  beautifully-constructed  receptacle, 
the  two  ends  and  roof  of  which  are  principally  composed  of 
plate-glass,  not  only  extends  55  feet  over  six  sets  of  rails,  but 
over  a  promenade  on  each  side  of  them,  20  feet  broad. 

Adjoining  to  and  communicating  with  each  of  these  pro- 
menades are  the  parallel  ranges  of  offices,  waiting-rooms,  &o., 
that  respectively  belong  to  them,  and  which  I  will  very  briefly 
enumerate  in  the  order  I  entered  them. 

Ok.  the  north  or  departure  side  the  range  of  buildings  con- 
nected with  the  glass  roof  are  composed  of, — 

1.  An  uncovered  wharf  for  the  embarkation  of  public  and 
private  carriages  and  horses,  allowing  plenty  of  room  to  em- 
bark five  at  a  time. 

2.  A  small  room  for  a  "  corps  de  garde,"  composed  of  the 
servants  of  the  company  oflf  duty. 

3.  A  refreshment-hall. 

4.  A  magnificent  building,  165  feet  long  by  33  broad,  the 
interior  of  which,  as  lofty  as  a  church,  is  divided  into  five  par- 
titions, namely,  one  waiting-room  for  first-class  passengers ; 
two  for  second  class,  and  two  for  third  class.  On  the  end  of 
the  wall  of  the  compartment  for  the  latter  class  of  travellers 
hangs  a  very  clearly-defined  railway  map  of  Europe. 

''"  The  partitions  dividing  the  fiVe  waiting-rooms  above  enu- 
merated are  of  oak.  In  the  third-class  room  I  observed  oak 
forms ;  in  the  second  class,  benches  covered  with  clean,  black, 
bright,  shining  horse-hair,  well  stuffed.  In  the  first  class,  on 
a  very  slippery  floor,  chairs,  sofas,  and  ottomans,  Uned  with 


422 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FBENOH  STICKS. 


l)eautiful  green  plush,  and  a  table  oovered  with  green  oloth. 
The  walls  are  adorned  with  lookingTglasses  ;  and  on  the  ohim- 
ney-pieoe  stands,  steadily  ticking,  an  exceedingly  handsome 
clock. 

(On  the  outside  of  the  above  four  oompartmentB,  oommu' 
nicating  with  them  all,  is  a  magnificent  ball  or  promenade  ;  in 
a  portion  of  it  passengers  for  departure  apply  ror  their  tickets 
through  five  windows,  around  each  of  which  there  is  plenty  of 
elbow-room.) 

5.  A  hall  for  baggage,  containing  a  table  240  feet  long,  for 
the  reception  and  weighing  of  passengers'  luggage. 

6,  and  lastly.  A  magazine  and  ol^oe  for  merchandise  and 
parcels  not  belonging  to  passengers,  to  be  despatched  by  trains 
"  k  grande  vitesse."  *  Beneath  the  whole  length  of  the  "  gare" 
or  establishment  I  have  described  are  a  range  of  subterranean 
stores,  very  valuable  and  dry,  containing  a  stove  or  caloriform, 
^or  warming  the  establishment.  Beyond,  but  in  line  with 
them,  there  exists,  in  the  air,  a  small  office  supported  by  up- 
right timbers,  between  which  diligences  are  lifted  from  their 
own  wheels,  and  deposited  upon  trucks  on  rails.  The  length 
of  the  office  and  waiting-room  attached  to  the  glass  roof  is 
726  feet ;  but  the  whole  of  what  is  called  the  "  Gour  de  De- 
part," is  1419  feet,  or  33  yards  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ! 

On  the  souths  or  arrival  side,  of  the  six  sets  of  rails,  there 
are,  opposite  to  the  series  of  offices  just  enumerated,  a  corres- 
ponding range  of  buildings,  containing — 

1.  Under  arches,  two  small  shops. 

2.  An  office  for  baggage  from  Lyons. 

3.  An  office  for  baggage  from  Troyes. 

4.  Bureau  restante,  n)r  the  guardianship  of  passengers' 


5.  For  the  reception  of  baggage  of  "  grande  vitesse,"  to  be 
delivered  in  Paris,  &o.,  on  its  arrival,  without  delay. 

6.  A  hall,  containing  two  parallel  tables,  219  feet  in  length, 
^nd  about  10  feet  asunder.  On  the  first  of  these  the  baggage 
unopened  is  delivered  by  the  company's  porters  to  the  holders 
of  the  tickets  corresponding  with  the  numbers  on  ea^h  pack- 
age; and  every  passenger  navin^  thus  secured  his  own  bag- 
gage, it  is  ppened  and  examined  in  his  presence  at  the  second 
lii^le. 


*  Fast  troiiuL 


LYONS  RAILWAY. 


423 


7.  A  hall  of  departure,  oommunicating  with  the  above, 
entitled  "  Sortie  des  VoyagenrB  aveo  bagages."  * 

8  and  9.  Two  halls,  entitled  <<  Sortie  des  Yoyagenrs  sang 
bagages."  t 

On  the  outside  of  the  above,  and  of  the  other  halls  enumer- 
ated, are  arranged,  under  covered  sheds,  'buses,  public  and  pri- 
vate carriages  of  all  descriptions. 

Adjoining  to  the  three  halls  of  departure,  and  in  continua- 
tion of  the  same  range  of  buildings,  are, — 

10.  An  office — "  Bureau  de  1' Octroi" — ^for  registering  the 
duties  that  have  been  paid. 

11.  An  office  for  the  *'  Oommissaire  de  Police." 

12.  A  room,  or  "  Corps  de  Garde,"  for  the  company's  ser- 
vants off  duty. 

13.  Within  the  remaining  six  windows  of  the  concluding 
portion  of  the  building  are  a  rail  and  interior  platform, 
especially  appropriated  for  the  reception  of  milk  from  the 
country. 

Having  hastily  passed  through  the  series  of  halls  and  offices 
for  the  departure  and  for  the  arrival  of  the  passenger  trains, 
we  walked  among  the  six  sets  of  rails  basking  under  the  glass 
roof,  which  are  appropriated  as  follows : — 

One  for  all  trains  of  arrival. 

One  for  the  return  of  the  engine  of  ditto. 

One  for  first-class  carriages  ^ 

One  for  second-class    do.      >     in  waiting. 

One  for  third-class       do.      ) 

One  for  trains  of  departure. 

For  the  construction  of  a  train,  the  requisite  number  of 
first,  second,  and  third  class  carriages  are  easily  transferred  to 
the  pair  of  rails  of  departure,  by  means  of  a  large  central  turn- 
table, communicating  with  a  pair  of  rails  at  right  angles  to  those 
of  the  line. 

Thefirst-dass  carriages,  punted  chocolate  colour,  are  lined 
in  the  mterior  with  light  drab  cloth,  handsomely  padded  and 
stuffed.  The  roof,  in  which  is  a  lamp,  is  an  imitation  of  maple 
varnished.  ,  The  carpet  drab  and  scarlet..  The  long  seats  are 
divided  into  two  compartments :  the  windows  are  of  plate-glass. 
In  the  coup6  I  OMerved  an   ingenious  spring-table;   and 

*  Door  of  depftrtnre  for  travellers  with  baggage. 
f  Ditto  without  baggage. 


424 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


throughout  the  whole  of  the  carriage,  beneath  the  carpet,  is  an 
arrangement  for  warming  the  feet  of  the  passengers  with  hoi^ 
water,  changed  at  the  principal  places  of  stopping. 

The  second-class^  painted  yellow,  and  lined  with  blue  cloth, 
have  well-stuffed  seats  and  baoks;  one  large  and  two  small 
plate-glass  windows  on  each  side,  and  a  lamp  at  top.  The  seat 
is  divided  into  two  compartments. 

TJie  third-class,  painted  green,  are  completely  closed,  The 
interior,  which  has  no  stuffing  or  padding  of  any  sort,  is  painted 
oak  colour,  the  windows  are  of  common  glass.  Four  sets  of 
these  third-class  carriages  connected  together  ar«  divided  into 
compartments  5  feet  wide,  so  as  to  enable  the  air  to  circulate 
throughout  all. 

7%e  luggage-waggons,  arranged  on  rails  outside  the  glass 
covering  which  shelters  the  first,  second,  and  third  class  car- 
riages, are  substantial  vans,  handsomely  painted  in  dark  green. 

From  the  above  description  it  will,  no  doubt,  be  evident  to 
the  reader,  as  it  was  on  a  moment's  inspection  to  me.  that  even 
under  a  monarchy,  and  much  more  under  a  republic,  a  second- 
class  railway  carriage,  lined,  padded,  and  stuffed  in  the  way  I 
have  described,  must  necessarilv  supersede  the  use  of  any  more 
costly  conveyance ;  and  accordingly,  on  inquiry  at  the  office,  I 
ascertained  that,  excepting  occas,ionally  a  few  foolish,  purse- 
proud  English,  people  very  rarely  travelled  in  the  company's 
first-class  carriages. 

Leaving  the  station,  the  six  sets  of  rails,  and  the  three 
classes  of  carriages  to  bask  within  their  magnificent  glass-case, 
we  came  out  upon  a  space  of  ground  belonging  to  the  company, 
which,  including  the  station,  exceeds,  by  77  yards,  a  mile  m 
length,  and  whose  greatest  breadth  is  66  yards  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  When  the  Paris  and  Lyons  railway  was 
the  property,  as  it  originally  was,  of  a  private  company,  only  a 
portion  of  this  vast  area  belonged  to  it ;  but  on  ite  being  pur- 
chased by  the  Government,  the  additional  ground  was  secured 
for  purposes  I  will  now  briefly  detail. 

Immediately  o'  .dide  the  glass  house  are  nine  sets  of  rails, 
of  which  the  two  on  the  right  are  for  the  disembarkation  of 
carriages,  and  the  other  seven  for  manoeuvring,  according  to 
oiroumstanoes,  the  arrival  and  departure  trains.  v 

About  100  yards  farther  on  (towards  Lyons)  are  a  series 
of  connected  bmldings  (seven  in  number,  U5  yards  long  by 


3 

e 


LYONS  RAILWAY- 


425 


34  broad,  with  stone  walls  and  zino  roofs,  lighted  in  the  sides, 
ends,  and  roof,  with  very  spacious  glass  windows  and  sky> 
lights),  in  which  were  reposing  the  company's  spare  carriages ; 
in  front  of  them  was  an  emplacement  for  the  wheels  of  dili- 
gences, after  their  bodies,  lifted  from  them  by  a  crane  and 
chains,  had  migrated  with  the  train.  I  next  came  to  a  row  of 
sheds,  130  yards  long,  for  the  repair  of  carriages  ;  then  to  a 
little  "  bureau,"  or  office,  for  this  department ;  then  to  a  space 
on  my  right,  containing  eight  sets  of  rails  for  carriages  ;  then 
to  another  large  open  area  on  my  left,  containing  twenty  sets 
of  rails  for  spare  wheels  and  axles ;  then  to  a  very  spacious 
building  for  the  reception  and  repair  of  locomotives.  Close  to 
the  latter  I  entered  a  magnificent  smith's  hall,  120  yards  in 
length,  by  28  in  breadth,  teeming  with  light  and  fresh  air,  and 
full  of  forges,  scientifically  covered  by  iron  shades,  terminating 
in  chimneys  for  carrying  off  the  heat.  At  the  end  of  this  es- 
tablishment was  a  door  communicating  with  a  square,  lofty, 
well  lighted  hall  full  of  turning  lathes,  and  closely  adjoining  to 
it  a  long  and  very  handsome  building  full  of  engines  ;  beyond 
which  I  found  a  large  yard  for  the  reception  of  carriages  re- 
quiring repairs.  I  here  ascertained  a  fact  worthy,  I  submit, 
of  very  careful  investigation.  On  all  our  railways  in  England, 
the  respective  companies,  as  well  as  the  public,  very  constantly 
suffer  expensive  and  very  troublesome  delays  from  what  are 
professionally  called  "  hot  axles,"  which  sufficiently  proves  that 
the  nice-looKing  yellow  mixture  which  at  almost  every  stop- 
page endeavours  to  prevent  the  evil,  is  inadequate  for  the  ob- 
ject for  which  it  has  been  concocted. 

Now,  the  French  Government,  invoking  the  aid  of  chemis- 
try, have  scientifically  ordained  on  the  Paris  and  Lyons  Bail- 
way  the  use  of  three  desoripiions  of  anti-attrition  ointment, 
namely,  one  for  hot  (pour  la  chaleur),  one  for  frost  (pour  la 
gel6e),  and  one  for  wet  weather  (pour  I'humidit^).  I  was  as- 
sured by  the  engineer  that  the  result  has  been  most  successful ; 
and  as  everybody  who  travels  by  rail  in  England  would  depre- 
cate the  idea  of  a  huifian  being  using  one  sort  of  dress  for 
every  description  of  weather,  so  it  sounds  only  reasonable  that 
railway  axles  should  not  be  ignorantly  restricted  to  one  single 
medicine,  to  be  "  taken  when  shaken,"  as  a  cure  for  the  innu- 
merable ills  to  which  under  various  temperatures  they  are  ex-- 
posed. 


436 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


In  ftn  'adjoining  space  I  stood  for  a  few  minutes  to  admire 
a  magnificent  crane  (by  Oavd,  the  celebrated  mechanic,  who 
has  made  the  French  transatlantic  steamers,  and  wLo  was,  ori< 
ginally,  a  simple  workman),  composed  of  an  enormous  lion 
erect,  firmly  pressing  his  upper  paws  against  the  azlo  of  the 
wheel,  as  if  to  enable  him  mechanically  to  retain  between  his 
teeth  the  extremity  of  the  lower  limb  of  the  crane,  from  the 
chain  of  which  there  was  dangling  in  the  air  the  greater  por- 
tion of  a  locomotive  engine. 

From  this  ^oint,  from  which  there  is  a  ffood  view,  I  ob- 
served that  the  immense  area  I  have  described  as  belonging  to 
the  company  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  20  feet  high. 

Oontinuing  mv  course  on  the  left  of  the  main  line  of  rails, 
I  found  close  to  them  a  handsome  circular  building  (Botonde 
No.  1)  full  of  rails  and  intervening  pits  converging  to  a  cen- 
tre, for  the  examination  and  repair,  above,  around,  and  be- 
neath, of  locomotive  engines.  From  this  building  three  sets- 
of  rails  a  hundred  yards  long  led  us  to  Rotonde  No.  2,  in  the 
centre  of  which  was  a  turn-table  of  36  feet  in  diameter,  capa- 
ble of  receiving  an  engine  and  tender  together.  Beyond  is  the 
field  for  coke ;  and  as  on  the  left  of  the  rails  there  now  re- 
mained nothing  to  visit,  we  crossed  over  to  the  right,  whero 
close  to  us  and  to  the  line  we  found  the  company's  establish- 
ment for  merchandise,  composed  of  three  covered  platforms, 
each  800  feet  long  by  30  broad,  for  the  reception  and  delivery 
of  heavy  goods. 

Observing  to  one  of  the  company's  officers  that,  in  com- 
parison with  the  buildings  I  had  just  been  witnessing,  thoso 
oefore  us  were  rudely  constructed,  with  rather  inefficient 
roofs — 

"Ah,  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "oe  n'est  que  provisoire;" 
adding,  with  a  good-humoured  smile,  "  comme  le  gouvernement 
de  France  I"*  at  wl^ioh  we  all  grinned  in  silence. 

Each  of  these  platforms,  which,  by  a  series  of  upright  posts 
supporting  the  roof,  appeared  divided  into  Stations,  the  names 
of  which  were  inscribed,  had  subservient  rails  on  one  side,  with 
a  road  for  waggons  and  carts  on  the  other. 

The  first  was  for  goods  outward  bound, "  depart  de  Lyons ;" 
the  second  for  homeward  bound,  "  arriv^e  de  Lyons ;"  the 
third,  for  meroh^n(jlise  to  and  from  "  Troyes,"  belonged  tip  a 

*  It  is  only  provisional,  like  the  government  of  France  1 


'  / 


V' 


LYONS  RAILWAY, 


427 


separate  company.  On  both  sides  was  an  office  or  "bureau" 
for  enregistering  floods  of  arrival  or  for  departure.  Lastly, 
beyond  these  sheds  were  three  temporary  "  corps  de  garde, " 
for  the  company's  servants  to  take  shelter  in  and  rest  when 
off  duty. 

>  The  above  establishment  for  the  reception  and  despatch  of 
merchandise,  works  from  six  in  the  morning  till  eight  at  night. 
Whole  wag^'on-loads  of  goods,  each  packed  and  covered  with 
its  cloth,  leaving  their  wheels  behind  them,  are  despatched  on 
trucks  by  rail  to  the  nearest  point  of  their  destination,  where, 
lifted  and  deposited  upon  other  wheels,  they  proceed  into  the 
interior.  In  cases  where  the  communication  is  partly  by  rail, 
partly  by  road,  and  then  again  .by  rail,  spare  wheels  are  car- 
ried. The  height  of  these  loaded  waggons  is,  if  necessary, 
tested  by  running  them  under  an  iron  arch,  of  the  exact 
height  01  the  lowest  bridge  on  the  line. 

The  merchandise  amvo/ warehouse  has  been  purposely 
placed  on  a  spot  which,  happening  exactly  to  be  beyond  the 
limits  of  Paris,  relieves  the  government  (the  directors  of  the 
railwaj. )  of  the  botheration  of  the  octroi,  which  must  accord- 
ingly be  paid  by  the  owners  of  the  goods  on  their  arrival  at 
the  Barrieres  de  Bercy  or  de  Charenton,  almost  immediately 
adjoining. 

Outside  the  walls  of  the  railway  establishment  there  lay 
beneath  us  at  a  short  distance  the  "  Camionage/'  or  establish- 
ment for  transporting  merchandise  to  and  from  their  three 
platforms,  and  I  was  much  interested  in  observing  the  ease 
with  which  loaded  "  camions,"  or  vans,  each  drawn  by  three 
horses  abreast,  were  to  be  seen  trotting  away  in  various  direc- 
tions. I  happened  at  the  moment  to  be  surrounded  by  seve- 
ral of  the  company's  servants,  and  as  I  was  expressing  to  one 
of  them  how  much  obliged  I  felt  to  the  "  Ing^nieur  en  chef" 
for  the  gratification  he  had  afforded  me,  his  comrade,  standing 
beside  me,  exclaimed,  evidently  from'  his  heart,  "  Ah,  o'est  la 
or^me  des  hommes  !"* 

From  the  very  slight  survey,  which  I  had  now  concluded, 
of  the  metropolitan  terminus  of  the  Paris  and  Lyons  railway, 
I  am  of  opinion  that,  although  the  buildings,  viewed  separate- 
ly, have  been  admirably  planned,  and  in  most  cages  very  scien- 
tifically devised  for  their  respective  purposes,  they  just  at 

*  Ah,  he  ia  the  cream  of  menl 


428 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


|)rc8ent  straddle  over  too  muoh  ground,  and,  with  referenoo  to 
their  existing  traffic,  would  therefore  be  more  valuable,  if,  like 
those  at  Euston  and  Oamden^stations,  in  London,  they  had 
been  more  oompaot. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  even  in  England 
the  railway  is  but  an  infant  of  scarcely  eighteen  years'  growth ; 
that  during  that  time  its  passenger  and  goods  traffic  have  in- 
creased in  a  ratio  infinitely  greater  than  was  expected ;  and 
that  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  the  human  mind  to  foresee  to 
what  in  future  ages  they  will  amount.  In  the  meanwhile,  the 
London  and  North-Western  Railway  Company,  notwithstand- 
ing the  foresight  and  admirable  arrangements  of  its  chairman, 
is  beginning  to  feel  that  its  termini  in  and  near  London  are 
not  big  enough  for  its  traffic;  and  as,  in  proportion  to  its  suc- 
cess, buildings  crowding  around  in  all  directions  have  in- 
creased the  value  of  land  which  was  before,  from  its  price,  al- 
most unpurohasable,  the  time  may  arrive  when  the  Paris  and 
Lyouh.  railway  will  derive  inestimable  advantages  from  the 
grand  scale  on  which  their  metropolitan  terminus  has  been 
purchased,  constructed,  and  arranged.  In  the  mean  while,  as 
compared  with  its  trade,  Ii  resembles  a  fine  healthy  boy  strut- 
ting about  in  "  papa's  boots." 

But  among  the  facts  and  arrangements  I  had  witnessed, 
there  were  others  which  I  consider  offered  to  those  interested 
in  the  success  of  railways — and  who  among  us  is  not? — a 
very  important  moral. 

Although  in  the  establishment  belonging  to  the  terminus 
of  the  Chemin  de  Fer  du  Nord  at  "  La  Ghapelle  "  were  lately 
employed  upwards  of  2000  workmen,  in  all  the  ateliers  (work- 
shops) of  the  Paris  and  Lyons  terminus  there  were  working 
when  I  visited  it  only  120  men  I 

Now  the  reason  of  this  appears  to  be  as  follows.  With 
the  purest  desire  to  work  the  line  in  the  most  scientific  and 
best  manner  possible,  the  French  Government,  like  the  Eng- 
lish or  any  other  government,  are  no  sooner  observed  to  pos- 
sess the  power  of  enriching  any  one  than,  at  all  points,  they 
are  assailed  by  the  most  ungenerous  applications,  so  intricately 
connected  with  parliamentary  interest,  that  it  is  really  out  of 
human  power  to  unravel  them.  The  only  way  of  not  offehd- 
ipg  all,  or  ratlier  of  giving  to  each  the  minimum  of  offence, 
is  to  divide  as  fairly  as  possible  among  all,  that  which  each  in- 


LYONS  RAILWAY. 


490 


dividuftlly  would  wholly  engross,  either  for  himself  or  for  his 
locality. 

Accordingly,  instead  of  constructing  the  undermentioiied 
articles  by  wholesale,  on  a  space  of  ground  a  mile  long,  walled- 
in  and  enriched  with  eyory  description  of  workshop  for  the 
purpose,  the  French  Government — i  repeat,  as  the  English  or 
any  other  Government  would,  I  believe,  have  done,  had  it  un- 
dertaken the  management  of  a  great  railway — has  obtained 
what  is  necessary  for  the  working  of  the  line  as  follows  :— 

The  locomotives  are  made  at  Paris  and  Bouen : 

The  tenders  at  St.  Etionne  and  Le  Greus6t : 

The  first-class  carriages  at  the  Messageries  Nationales  de 
Paris : 

The  second  and  third  class  carriages  at  Arras,  Lille, 
Alsace,  and  Munich : 

Coke  from  Valenciennes,  Alsace,  D'Anzin,  &o.  &o.  &o. 

Again,  from  narrowminded  but  irresistible  political  pres- 
sure from  without,  the  government  railway  has  been  forced,  by 
lining,  padding,  and  stuffing  sec^  m-class  carriages  (a  luxury 
which  no  railwav  company  in  France  has  allowed),  to  make 
them  and  the  third-class  carriages  so  comfortable,  that,  by 
attractions  of  their  own  creation,  they  have  actually  desolated 
the  first-class  carriages. 

The  comparative  receipts,  in  English  money,  of  all  the 
principal  French  railways  (namely,  the  Northern,  Rouen, 
Havre,  Orleans,  Bordeaux,  Viorzon,  Boulogne,  Nantes,  Stras- 
burg,  Bdle,  Montreau,  Marseilles,  Lyons,  Ghartres),  and  the 
receipts,  for  the  same  periods,  of  the  single  British  London 
and  North- Western  Railway,  have  been  as  follows : — 


For  the  middle  week  of  May,  1861 : — 


Per  Week, 


Receipts  of  the  French  Railways  above  enumerated,     £66,180 
Of  the  British  London  and  North- Western  Railway,        48,041 

For  the  week  ending  10th  of  August,  1861 : — 

Receipts  of  the  French  Railways  above  enumerated,  I    84,826 
Of  the  British  London  and  North-Western  Railway,    |    70,230 


Per  Day. 


£9,447 
6,868 

12,046 
10,082 


Just  beyond  the  barridre  of  Oharenton,  the  limits  of 
Paris,  I  observed,  outside  a  butcher  s  shop  tied  to  an  iron  ring 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBENCE  STICKS, 


in  the  wall,  ft  &t  ox,  over  whose  ruminating  liead  wfts  iiiBcribecl 
"Durham."   . 

"  Why,"  said  I  to  his  lord  and  master,  who  was  standing  at 
the  door, ''  |iaye  you  decked  his  horns  with  laurel  leaves,  co- 
loured  ribands,  and  with  those  two  tricoloured  flags?" 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied  with  great  gravity  and  pride,  ^'o'est 
pour  lui  faire  honnenr." 

Which,  I  suppose,  said  I  to  myself,  in  plain  English  means 
to  turn  him  into  Ibeef. 


•  •• 


REVIEW. 


TlNnER  the  old-fashioned  monarchical  institutions  of  Europe 
there  has  long  existed,  and  there  still  exists,  a  time-honour- 
ed series  of  forms  of  invitation,  gradually  descending  by  a 
flight  of  steps,  each  very  accurately  measured,  from  "  I  am 
commanded  to  invite  you,"  down  to ''  Gome  along  and  dine 
with  us!" 

In  the  Republic  of  France  a  penultimate  step  has  been 
adopted,  and,  accordingly,  the  printed  form  of  invitation  to 
dine  at  the  paiaoe  of  the  Elys^e  runs  as  follows : — 

Priaidence  de  la  Rijyubliqtte. 

Le  Pi'^sident  de  la  R^publique  prie  M  ■  r 

de  venir  diner  chez  lui 

Le  &  7  heures.* 

K  Lepio. 

Having  had  the  honour  to  receive  a  card  of  this  descrip- 
tion, on  the  day  and  at  the  hour  appointed  I  drove  to  the 
Elysfie,  where,  after  having  been  received  in  the  entrance-hall 
by  the  well-appointed  arrangements  I  have  previously  desorib- 


The  Preudent  of  the  Republic  requests 
cmemim^  wifli  him  on 


^Prmdmcy  of  the  Hepublk. 

at  7  o'olook. 


to 


a,  xJOnOt 


BEVIEW. 


431 


ed,  I  slowly  walked  through  two  or  three  handsome  rooms  en 
suite,  full  of  interesting  pictures,  into  a  drawing-room,  in 
which  I  found  assemhled,  in  about  equal  proportions,  about 
fifty  Well-dressed  ladieS  and  gentlemen,  the  latter  being  priu' 
oipally  officers,  whose  countenances,  not  less  clearly  than  the 
decorations  on  their  breasts,  announced  them  to  be  persons  of 
distinction. 

The  long  sofias  and  chairs,  as  if  they  had  only  just  come 
out — or  rather,  as  if  they  had  just  come  up  from  the  country  to 
come  out — ^had  arranged  themselves  so  very  formally,  and  alto- 
gether behaved  so  very  awkwardly,  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
for  the  company  assembled  to  appear  as  much  at  their  ease  as, 
from  their  position,  education,  and  manners,  they  really  were ; 
and  accordingly,  biassed  by  the  furniture,  they  kept  moving, 
and  bowing,  and  curtsyine,  and ''  sotto-voce  "  talking,  until  they 
got  into  a  parallelogram,  m  the  centre  of  which  stood,  distin- 
guished by  a  broad  riband  and  by  a  mild,  thoughtful,  benevolent 
countenance,  Prince  Louis  Napoleon,  whose  gentle  and  gentle- 
man-like bearing  to  every  person  who  approached  him  entitled 
him  to  that  monarchical  homage  in  which  the  majority  evidentlv 
delighted,  but  which  it  was  alike  his  policy  as  well  as  his  incli- 
nation— at  all  events  to  appear — to  suppress ;  and  accordingly 
the  parallelogram,  which,  generally  speaking,  was  at  the  point 
of  congelation,  sometimes  and  of  its  own  accord  froze  into  the 
formality  of  a  court,  and  then  all  of  a  sudden  appeared  to  recol- 
lect that  the  "  Prince  "  was  the  "  President,"  and  that  the  whole 
party  had  assembled  to  enjoy  liberty,  fraternity,  and  6galit6. 
As  1  was  observing  the  various  phases  that  one  after  another 
presented  themselves  to  view,  the  principal  officer  of  the  house- 
hold came  up  to  me,  and,  in  a  quiet  and  appropriate  tone  of 
voice,  requested  me  to  do  two  things,  one  of  which  appeared  to 
me  to  be  rather  easy,  and  the  other — or  rather  to  do  both — ex- 
tremely difficult.  By  an  inclination  of  his  forehead  he  pointed 
to  two  la(^ies  of  rank,  whose  names  he  mentioned  to  me,  but 
with  whom  I  was  perfectly  unacquainted,  seated  on  the  sofas  at 
different  points  of  the  parallelogram.  "  When  dinner  is  an- 
nounced, you  will  be  so  good,"  he  said,  "as  to  offer  your  arm 

to "  (the  one),  "and  to  seat  yourself  next  to "  (the 

other).  Of  course,  I  silently  bowed  assent ;  but  while  the  offiocir 
who  had  spoken  tQ  xne  Wbs  giting  similar  insi^dtions  to  otheir 
gentlemen,  I  own  t.  felt  a  little  nervous  l6£(t,  di:(ring  the  poUt»B 


432 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 


scramble  in  which  I  was  about  to  engage,  like  the  dog  in  the 
fable,  grasping  at  the  shadow  of  the  second  lady,  I  might  lose 
the  substance  of  the  first,  or  vice  yers&.  However,  when  the 
doors  were  thrown  open,  I  very  quickly^with  a  profound  rever- 
ence, obtained  my  prize,  and  at  once  confiding  to  her — ^for  had 
I  deliberated  I  should  have  been  lost — the  remainder  of  the 
pleasing  duty  it  had  been  predestined  I  was  to  have  the  honour  to 
perform,  we  glided  through  couples  darting  in  various  direc- 
tions for  similar  ol]^ects,  until,  finding  ourselves  in  a  formal 
procession  sufficiently  near  to  the  lady  in  question,  we  proceeded, 
at  a  funereal  pace,  towards  our  doom,  which  proved  to  be  a  most 
delightful  one. 

Seated  in  obedience  to  the  orders  I  had  received,  we  found 
ourselves  exactly  opposite  "  Le  Prince,"  who  had,  of  course,  on 
his  right  and  left,  the.  two  ladies  of  highest  rank.  The  table 
was  very  richly  ornamented,  and  it  was  quite  delightful  to  ob- 
serve at  a  glance  what  probably  in  mathematics  or  even  in  phi- 
losophy it  might  have  been  rather  troublesome  to  explain — 
namely,  the  extraordinary  difference  which  existed  between  forty 
or  fifty  ladies  and  gentlemen  standing  in  a  parallelogram  in  a 
drawing-room  and  the  very  same  number  and  the  very  same 
faces  rectilinearly  seated  in  the  very  same  form  in  a  dining  room. 
It  was  the  difference  between  sterility  and  fertility,  between 
health  and  sickness,  between  joy  and  sorrow,  between  winter 
and  summer ;  in  fact,  between  countenances  frozen  into  Lap- 
land formality  and  glowing  with  tropical  animation  and  delight. 
Everybody's  mouth  had  apparently  something  kind  to  say  to 
its  neighbour's  eyes ;  and  the  only  alloy  was,  that,  as  each  per- 
son had  two  neighbours,  his  lips,  under  a  sort  of  "  embarras  des 
richesses,"  occasionally  found  it  rather  difficult  to  express  all 
that  was  polite  and  pleasing  to.  both. 

In  a  short  space  of  time  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  gain — 
sometimes  through  my  right  ear,  sometimes  through  my  left, 
and  not  unfrequently  through  both  at  once — a  great  deal  of 
pleasing  useful  knowledge,  among  which  were  the  names  and 
histories  of  the  guests  present,  especially  of  those  opposite. 

While  I  was  thus  delightfully  engaged,  about  every  two 
minutes  a  fine,  strong,  manly  voice,  in  a  tone  which,  though 
heard  by  no  one  else,  was  distinctly  audible  to  me,  pronounced, 
close  to  the  back  of  my  head,  a  little  sentence — every  consonant 
and  every  vowel  beautifully  accented — composed  of  from  three 


HEVIEW. 


438 


to  ten  words  of  vital  importance.  Unfortunately,  I  bad  not  the 
slightest  idea  of  its  meaning.  On  the  oUier  hand,  as  I  had  no 
objection  whatever  to  add  to  the  intellectual  pleasure  I  was  re< 
cciving  the  honest  enjoyment  of  a  good  dinner,  instead  of  al- 
ways shaking  my  head  "  k  T  A^glaise,"  as  if  to  say  "  nong-tong- 
paw,"  I  very  often  boldly  r^n  the  risk  of  nodding  it ;  and  in  the 
pause  that  ensued,  although  I  was  conversing  on  various  little 
topics  alien  to  the  subject,  and  had  now  and  then  a  glass  of  iced 
champa^oe  to  drink,  my  mind  enjoyed,  beyond  all  power  of 
description,  the  glorious  uncertainty  as  to  the  contents  of  the 
approaching  plate,  which  in  due  tune,  in  compliance  with  my 
nod,  was  placed  before  me.  What  I  rejected  I  shall  probably 
never  know ;  on  the  other  hand,  although  I  could  often  hardly 
discriminate  whether  I  was  eating  fish,  flesh,  or  fowl,  I  must 
say  that  in  my  lottery  every  ticket  I  drew  proved  to  be  a  prize. 
Indeed,  as  the  French  are  proverbially  the  best  cooks  in  the 
world,  and  as  the  President  is  said  to  have  the  best  cook  in 
th'  Republic  of  France,  it  dould  not  very  well  have  been  oth- 
fc. 

England  the  capacity  of  a  lady  and  the  capacity  <^a 
gentleman  (I  do  not  offensively  allude  to  their  intellects)  are, 
by  the  statute  law*  of  society,  de(»reed  to  be  as  different  from 
each  other  as  a  pint  and  a  quart,  as  a  peck  and  a  bushel,  or,  as 
in  wool  measure,  a  tod  and  a  last.  In  France,  however,  their 
capacities  are  politely  considered  to  be  identical ;  and  accord- 
ingly, as  soon  as  the  ladles  had  enjoyed  as  much  refreshment 
as  their  delicate  constitutions  required,  the  whole  party,  like  a 
covey  of  partridges,  arose  at  once,  and,  in  the  order  in  which 
they  had  departed  from  it,  they  amicably  returned  arm-in-arm 
in  pairs  towards  the  drawing-room.  As  they  wore  in  proces- 
sion, I  observed  that  one  gentleman  only  had  given  to  his  partner 
his  left  arm,  by  which  mistake  he  walked  conspicuously  amonff 
the  long  line  of  ladies,  while  his  partner— curls,  bare  throat,  and 
gown — as  incongruously  appeared  in  that  of  short  hair,  whisk- 
ers, blue  and  black  cloth  backs,  and  scarlet  legs  of  trousers. 
The  error  was  obvious  and  amusing  to  all,  and  yet,  while  I 
pitied  it,  I  could  not  help  feeling  that  the  sinner,  poor  fellow, 
was,  after  all,  correct :  for  unless  Fashion  has  ordained  that 
man  belongs  to  the  weaker  sex,  and  consequently  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  young  woman  to  protect  him,  surely  the  propei 
place  for  a  lady  is — to  say  nothing  of  his  heart — on  his  left  side, 
•  19  ■■, .    ... 


434 


A  FAQGOT  OF  FRSNCH  SUCKS. 


tbus  granting  to  his  right  arm  the  power  as  well  as  the  privi< 
lege  and  inclination  to  defend  her. 

As  fast  as  the  procession  came  in  sight  of  the  formal  paral- 
lelogram of  furniture,  from  which  between  two  or  three  hours 
ago  it  had  been  emancipated,  its  malign  influence  was  strikingly 
perceptible.  Each  lady,  one  after  attother,  the  instant  she  saw 
It,  withdrew  her  arm,  the  gentleman  made  to  her  a  low,  cold, 
reverential  bow,  and,  the  innocent  and  pleatnug  alliance  between 
them  having  been  thus  divorced,  the  sofas  were  again  to  be  seen 
fringed  by  rows  of  satin  shoes,  while  the  carpet,  in  all  other 
directions,  was  subjected  to  the  pressure  of  boots,  that  often 
Remained  for  a  short  time  motionless  as  before.  A  general 
buzz  of  conversation,  however,  soon  enlivened  the  room  ;  and 
the  President,  gladly  availing  himself  of  it,  mingled  familiarly 
with  the  crowd. 

^  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  had  more  than  once  ex- 
|>ressed  to  me  his  wish  that  I  would  accompany  him  to  a  review 
which  was  to  take  place  the  following  day ;  and  as,  after  con- 
versing with  him  a  considerable  time,  he  ended  by  repeating 
the  wish,  I  told  him  that,  although  I  had  made  all  my  arrange- 
ments for  returning  to  England  early  the  following  morning,  I 
would  defer  them  to  have  the  honour  of  attending,  as  he  had 
desired. 

"  Will  you  go  ?"  said  he,  very  kindly  to  me,  "  en  voiture  or 
on  horseback  ?" 

Of  course  I  said  I  should  prefer  the  latter,  on  which  he 
was  good  enough  to  say  he  would  provide  me  with  a  horse, 
and  that  I  had  better  call  upon  him  in  the  morning,  a  few 
minutes  before  half-past  eleven,  the  moment  at  which  he  would 
set  out. 

As  it  was  my  habit  to  rise  at  five,  I  amused  myself,  as 
nsual,  for  two  or  three  hours,  in  walking  about  the  streets ; 
and  after  returning  to  breakfast,  and  writing  out  a  few  of  my 
notes  T  made  the  trifling  arrangements  that  were  necessary  in 
my  touette  for  attending  the  review  in  plain  clothes.  Among 
BO  many  brilliant  uniforms,  I  deemed  it  would  be  advisable  I 
should  wear  a  simple  star ;  and  as  the  weather  was  very  fine, 
the  pavement  very  clean,  and  the  distance  to  the  Elys6e  very 
short,  I  determined  to  walk  there;  and  accordingly,  that  I 
might  pass  along  the  streets  enjoying  the  inestimable  luxury  of 
being  unobserved,  I  wrapped  myself  comfortably  up  in  an  old 


'  / 


\         ii 


REVIEW. 


4^5 


and  easy  great-coat,  which  I  knew  I  oould  discard,  if  necessary, 
without  regret. 

"  Fare  thee  well  1  and  if  for  ever. 
Still  for  ever  fare  thee  well  I" 

I  hiid  scarcely  from  the  Rue  Gastiglione  entered  the  Eue 
St.  Honore  when  I  heard  behind  me  a  loud  clatter  of  horses, 
and,  looking  backwards,  I  saw  a  mass  of  upwards  of  a  hun- 
dred marshals,  generals,  aides-de-camp,  and  other  staff  officers, 
in  full  uniform,  riding  towards  the  Elys6e,.to  accompany  the 
President  to  the  review ;  and  as  they  proceeded  faster  than  I 
desired  to  follow,  they  had  not  only  entered  but  had  filled  the 
great  yard  of  the  palace  before  I  had  reached  the  sentinels 
and  body  of  police,  who,  to  keep  off  the  crowd  that  werfl 
pressing  to  peep  into  it,  were  pacing  up  and  down  the  street 
before  it. 

I  had  some  little  difficulties  to  encounter  in  getting  to  the 
gate,  and  I  was  inwardly  rejoicing  in  having  overcome  them, 
when,  on  my  entering  the  yard,  I  was  suddenly  stopped  by  the 
porter  at  the  lodge,  who,  placing  his  long  right  arm  before  me, 
said  to  me,  very  properly  but  very  firmly, — 

'•  On  n'entre  pas.  Monsieur  !"* 

I  told  him  that  by  request  of  the  President  I  had  come  to 
ride  with  him  to  the  review. 

"  Has  Monsieur  any  letter  of  invitation  ?" 

I  replied  "  No." 

"  Has  Monsieur  any  card  of  invitation?" 

I  replied  "  No." 

"  Will  Monsieur  have  the  goodness  to  show  me  his  card  ?" 

I  happened  not  to  have  one  with  me,  and  I  accordingly 
told  him  so,  but  I  begged  he  wov^d  allow  me  to  write  my  name 
in  his  lodge,  and  he  did  so. 

On  reading  it,  he  seemed — as  was  always  the  case — not 
very  clearly  to  decipher  it,  and  casting,  I  fancied,  a  single  look 
of  incredulity  at  me,  or  rather  at  my  very  comfortable,  warm, 
good  old  English  coat,  he  called  to  a  soldier,  and,  putting  my 
paper  into  his  hand,  he  said,  rather  pompously  and  loud 
enough  for  a  number  of  the  officers  on  horseback  to  hear 
him,— 

*  No  one  can  enter,  Sir!  ^        - 


496 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


'7r 


"  Tons  direz  qtxe  o^est  iin  monsieur  qui  est  yenu  monter  ^ 
oheval  aveo  le  Prince  !"* 

It  certainly  sounded  a  little  like  an  imposition ;  nevertheless, 
in  a  very  short  time  the  soldier  was  seen  beckoning  me  to  ad- 
vance. There  were,  however,  so  many  restless  horses  in  the  great 
court,  and  so  many  pairs  of  spurs  making  them  restless,  that  I 
wal  a  little  time  in  worming  my  way  through  them  all  to  the  foot 
of  the  flight  of  long  stone  steps,  where  I  found  standing — ^very 
handsomely  caparisoned — the  President's  horse,  held  by  a  groom 
on  foot,  and  another  fine,  high-bred  looking  English  horse, 
with  a  plain  saddle  and  double  bridle,  with  pink  rosettes,  held 
by  a  second  groom  on  foot. 

After  ascending  the  steps,  and  crossing  the  spacious  stone 
landing-place,  I  deposited  with  one  of  the  numerous  servants 
who,  with  several  officers  in  waiting,  filled  the  entrance-hall,  my 
great-coat ;  and  as  I  had  refieoted  that  on  the  President's  de- 
parture every  body  and  every  horse  would  be  in  a  flutter,  I 
descended  to  the  second  horse  I  have  described,  and,  ascertain- 
ing from  the  groom  it  was  for  me,  I  mounted  him,  and  in  a 
few  seconds,  after  having  adjusted  my  stirrup  leathers  to  the 
proper  length,  I  returned  to  the  Elys^e,  where  I  entered  the 
audience-chamber,  in  which  several  officers  were  assembled. 
The  principal  aide-de-camp  requested  me  to  advance  into  the 
next  adjoining  room,  in  wnich  I  found  standing  alone,  in  uni- 
form, an  officer  whom  I  knew  to  be  the  "  Ministre  de  la  Guerre,"! 
although  I  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  him. 

In  a  few  minutes  a  door  opposite  to  that  which  I  had  en- 
tered opened,  and  in  walked  the  President,  who,  after  shaking 
hands  with  the  minister,  introduced  me  to  him  in  a  capacity  I 
own  I  was  totaly  unprepared  to  hear  recognized  in  France — 
namely,  as  having  served  the  British  nation  in  North  America 
ftS of . 

Proceeding  immediately  to  the  large  room,  he  walked — 
l)owing  on  each  side  to  the  officers  assembled  there,  and  who 
instantly  formed  a  passage  for  his  departure — to  the  stone 
platform,  where  putting  on  his  hat,  he  descended  the  steps  to 
his  horse,  mounted  him,  and  in  a  few  seconds,  followed  by  the 
prancing  steeds  of  his  fc   "''nnt  staff,  he  was,  amid  the  cheers 

*  You  will  say  that  it  ia  a  /k  <»ieur  who  is  come  to  ride  with  the 
Prince  1 

f  Minister  of  War. 


« 


.W 


>  •*/ 


i    » 


REVIEW. 


437 


>  j'-i 


of  people  wbo  had  long  been  waiting  on  both  sides,  riding  down 
the  handsome  "  Avenue  Marigny."  As  I  found  myself  the 
only  person  in  plain  clothes,  I  purposely  kept  myself  in  the 
rear  of  the  procession,  When  an  aide-de-camp,  reining  back  his 
horse  till  I  reached  him,  told  me  that  "  the  Prince  wished  me 
to  come  up  to  him." 

From  the  unfortunate  political  position  of  France  in  general, 
and  of  Paris  in  particular,  the  cheers  were  mt  either  as  hearty 
or  as  unanimous  as  in  England ;  indeed,  af^  .^me  little  time 
they  subsided  altogether.  Of  the  upper  clbsses,  most  of 
them,  as  the  President  passed,  took  off  their  hats ;  the  lowest 
orders,  generally  speaking,  very  properly  appeared  to  think  it 
inconsistent  with  democracy  to  do  so.  "  Vive  Napoleon  !"  ex- 
claimed a  stentorian  voice.  The  President  smiled  as,  looking 
upwards,  he  saw  close  to  him,  on  the  headless  shoulders  of  one 
of  the  colossal  temporary  statues  that  had  been  erected  for  the 
F6te  of  the  Bepublio  on  the  Champs  Elys6es,  a  fine-looking 
young  workman  in  a  blouse  engaged  in  destroying  the  statue 
by  a  hatchet,  with  which  he  had  just  chopped  off  its  head,  and 
which,  as  he  kept  calling  "  Vive  Napoleon  !"  he  vigorously 
waved  over  his  hrad.  At  times — like  the  swelling  notes  on  an 
Eolian  harp — there  arose  a  strong  feeling  in  his  favour  ;  but 
noises  of  that  description  are  so  utterly  valueless,  that  I  really 
hardly  noticed  them.  At  one  point  I  observed,  standing  with 
bent  backs,  bent  knees,  bent  elbows,  large  round  open  eyes, 
and  protruding  chins — in  short,  in- the  attitude  of  tall,  zinc, 
crooked  chimney-pots — a  group  of  about  thirty  dyera,  with 
faces,  baje  throats,  and  hands  deeply  tinged  with  black :  "  Vive 
LA  Republique  I"  they  all  shouted  at  once,  at  the  motion  of  a 
darkly  begrimed  fugleman.  Poor  fellows  !  they  little  knew 
how  closely  they  resembled  what  they  shouted  for  ! 

The  shouts  of  France,  which  vary  like  all  other  factions,  at 
present  consist  of  four  degrees  of  comparison : — 

1.  Vive  I'Empereur ! 

2.  Vive  Napoleon ! 

3.  Vive  la  Republique. 

^  4f  Vive  la  Republique  Sociale  et  D^mocratique.  • 

Now,  strange  to  say,  on  something  like  the  jBank  of  Eng- 
land restriction  principle,  which  says, — 

"  Sham  Abraham  you  may, 
But  you  must  not  sham  Abitiham  Ifewland." — 


438 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRE^^GII  STICKS. 


it  is  considered  criminal  to  dliout  "  Vive  la  E^publique  SocUite 
et  Df,mocratique  /"  and  yet,  as  we  rode  along,  on  every  public 
building  I  saw  inscribed  '-  Libert^,  Fraternity,  Egalit^  I"  ! !  I 

When  O'Connell — reprimanded  in  the  H'-use  of  Com- 
mons on  all  sides  for  having  use  ^  against  it  the  two  words 
'<  beastly  bellowing" — had,  much  against  his  will,  retracted  the 
latter,  some  one,  dissatisfied  with  his  apology,  urgently  com- 
plained that  the  former  word  remained  uncancelled.  "  And 
Bure  I"  said  O'Connell,  turning  his  burly  head  suddenly  round 
upon  his  enemy,  "  did  anybody  ever  hear  of  bellowing  that  was 
not  bastely  ?" 

By  similar  reasoning,  I  always  felt  while  I  was  at  Paris, 
and  particularly  while  I  was  riding  with  the  President,  that, 
as  nobody  ever  heard  of  a  republic  that  was  not  "  democratic,^^ 
or  of  a  "  fraternity"  that  was  not  at  least  supposed  to  \>  ^ 
''  social"  it  was  alike  foolish  and  tyrannical  of  the  police  k» 
continue  to  imprison  people  for  the  cry  I  have  named ;  how- 
ever, as  the  President  rode  along,  I  heard  no  single  person  use 
it ;  and  indeed,  with  the  exception  of  the  gang  of  blue-faced 
dyers,  whom  I  have  no  doubt  the  Red  Republicans  had  paid 
for  the  job,  I  heard  nothing  but  "  Vive  Napoleon  !" 

By  this  time  my  horse  and  I  were  on  terms  of  intimate 
friendship.  When  first  I  mounted  him  he  took  me,  I  sup- 
pose, to  be  a  Frenchman,  and,  accordingly,  there  were  a  variety 
of  little  nameless  things  that  he  was  evidently  disposed  to  do, 
provided  I  would  merely  spur  him  gently  and  pull  rather  hard 
at  his  curb  rein.  But  when  he  found  I  rode  him  loosely  on  the 
snaffle,  just  as  if  I  had  shown  him  my  passport  bearing  the 
word  "  Palmerston,"  he  conducted  himself  as  a  high-bred  Eng- 
lish horse  always  desires  to  do,  that  is  to  say,  he  walked  in 
procession  quite  quietly.  As  soon,  however,  as  we  had  passed 
the  bridge  of  Jena,  the  President,  who  proverbially  in  France 
is  "  parfaitement  bon  cavalier,"*  started  off  in  a  gallop  ;  and 
accordingly,  between  the  troops  that  on  each  side  were  drawn 
up  in  line,  and  whose  bands  successively  struck  up  as  we 
reached  them,  we  had  a  scurry  across  the  Champ  de  Mars 
which  was  really  quite  delightful ;  indeed,  my  horse  SQ^ed 
BO  pleased  with  it,  that,  had  it  not  been  for  my  curb  rein,  I  to- 
lieve,  very  much  against  my  will,  he  would  have,  what  is  com- 
monly oalled,"  come  in  first." 

*  A  perfect  horseman. 


/     '■  ■■ 


REVIEW. 


489 


as  we 

)  Mars 


"•  Kii^T  receiving  the  salute  of  the  general  commanding  the 
ground,  and  going  through  a  few  other  formalities,  the  Presi- 
dent commenced  his  inspection  of  the  troops  assembled,  by 
slowly  riding  down  the  line  of  infantry,  who,  with  brown 
faces,  scarlet  trousers  and  with  presented  arms,  stood  mo- 
tionless as  he  passed. 

After  proceeding  about  two  hundred  yards,  reining  In  his 
horse,  he  spoke  in  the  kindest  possible  manner  to  a  fine-look- 
ing private,  who,  without  altering  a  feature  of  his  counte- 
nance, or  moving  a  hair  of  his  mustachios,  allowed  every  now 
and  then  a  monosyllable  I  could  not  hear  to  come  out  of  his 
mouth,  which  appeared  to  address  itself  to  the  musket  that 
remained  immovably  before  it. 

The  colonel  of  the  regiment,  lately  from  Algeria,  bowing, 
said  something,  and  on  a  slight  signal  from  the  President  a 
sergeant  on  foot  opened  a  despatch-boz  be  was  carrying ;  the 
President  took  from  it  a  bright  red  riband  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour  :  bending  over  his  horse's  neck,  he  spoke  to  the  sol- 
dier with  an  unmilitary  mildness  of  manner  that  was  really 
quite  affecting ;  he  then  presented  the  riband  to  the  man, 
who,  holding  his  firelock  with  his  left  hand  only,  received 
with  the  other  not  only  it,  but  before  all  the  assembled  staff 
and  troops,  a  hearty,  good  old  English  shake  of  the  hand, 
which,  though  it  and  its  accompaniment'  no  doubt  went  to 
the  man's  heart,  did  not  shake  the  firm  gravity  of  his  counte- 
nance. The  President  told  me,  with  evident  sstisfactioil, 
that  when,  of  his  own  accord,  he  stopped  to  speak  to  that 
man,  he  was  not  aware  his  name  was  on  the  list  of  those 
whose  conduct  and  services  had  entitled  them  to  be  recom- 
mended for  decoration. 

As  we  were  proceeding  along  the  ranks  I  was  altogether 
astonished  to  find,  standing  immediately  on  the  right  of  every, 
regiment,  in  line  with  the  troops,  and  as  immovably  erect  as 
themselves,  one  or  two  very  nice-looking  young  women^dress- 
ited  in  scarlet  regimental  trousers,  little  sho.t  white  aprons, 


{u|d.  neatly  ornamented  blue  loose  frocks.  Under  each  of 
Majt  left  arms  they  held,  supported  by  a  strap  that  passed 
IRagonally  across  their  breasts,  a  small  barrel,  beautifully 
painted  blue,  white,  and  red,  from  which  there  protruded  a 
bright  silver  cock ;  on  their  heads  sat  a  tricolor  sort  of  Scotch 
bonnet.    The  dress  altogether  was  wildly  picturesque ;  and 


440 


A  FAOGOT  OF  FBENCH  STICKS. 


th«  oontnwt  between  the  soft  smooth  ohinis,  sle.ider  hands,  and 
small  feet  of  the  wearers,  compared  with  the  formal  uniformed 
dark  hairy  faces,  and  rough  limbs  of  the  troops,  was  most 
striking.  They  were  the  "cantinidres"  of  the  different  regi- 
ments; and  being,  aa  in  my  description  of  the  '-  Casernes"  I 
have  explained,  the  only  women  in  the  regiment,  they  are> 
naturally  enough  petted  and  adorned  in  the  way  I  have  de- 
scribed. 

At  about  the  centre  of  the  line  the  President  again  reined 
in  his  horse,  opposite  to  an  officer  whose  sword,  stretched  out. 
in  salute,  was  pointing  diagonally  to  the  ground.  The  ser-> 
geant  with  the  olue  despatoh-box  came  quickly  up ;  and  while 
the  President,  with  a  riband  and  cross  dangling  from  his 
ritfht  hand,  was  in  his  peculiar  unassuming  manner  parentally 
aildressing  the  offiee|,  an  ungoyernable  joy,  a  slight  flush  in 
his  cheeks,  and  an  increased  animation  in  his  eyes,  sufficiently 
expressed  his  sense  of  the  honour  that  was  about  to  be  confer- 
red upon  him.  On  receiying  it,  with  the  same  hearty  shake 
of  the  hand  which  I  have  described,  the  President  rode  on, 
and,  looking,  behind  me,  I  saw  several  officers  of  the  staff,  as 
they  rode  by  the  recipient,  heartily  congratulating  him  by 
gestures  ana  expressions,  which,  with  his  sword  still  pointing 
to  the  ground,  he  invariably  acknowledged  by  a  happy  smile. 

At  nearly  the  end  of  the  line  of  infantry  one  more  riband 
was  given  to  a  private,  and,  on  the  inspection  on  that  side 
being  concluded,  we  had  another  glorious  hustling  gallop  up 
the  Champ  de  Mars  to  the  right  of  the  cavalry,  which  in  like 
manner  were  slowly  inspected.  As  the  President  approached 
each  regiment  ita  brass  band  struck  up.  That  of  the  9th 
Hussars  played  "  Partant  pour  la  Syrie"  so  magnificently,  that 
I  eould  not  help  expressing  to  an  offieer  who  was  near  to  me 
a  remark  on  the  subject.  He  replied  "  it  was  considered  to 
be  the  finest  band  in  the  French  army." 

When  the  inspection  of  the  cavalry  was  concluded,  the 
President,  again  riding  up  the  Clamp  de   Mars,  took  up 
his  position  near  the  grand  stone  platform  on  the  outside 
the^  Eoole  Militaire,  beneath  the  magnificent  pedimeni| ' 
which  his  uncle  Napoleon  had  so  often  stood,  now  crowdec 
with  a  mass  of  well-dressed  spectators  in  bonnets,  shawls, 
hats,  and  uniforms. 
^    In  th^  QOUTse  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  dusing  which 


f  •. 


snyjAiv. 


441 


the  troops  hud  been  moving  into  their  proper  positions,  the  in* 
fiftntry,  formed  into  companies  three  deep— every  regimept  WM 
preceded  by  a  detachment  of  pioneers  with  long  beards  and 
white  leather  aprons,  each  carrying  his  axe  horizontally  on  his 
right  shoulder — marching  past  in  the  ordinarv  "pas  acc6ler6"* 
of  120  paces  per  minute.  (By  regulation  it  is  100,  that  of 
British  troops  108).  They  were  exceedingly  small  men,  and 
their  tread,  although  quicker,  was  not  so  neavy  as  that  of 
British  troops.  When  the  regiments  of  the  line  had  all 
passed  there  ensued  a  short  pause,  after  which  I  saw  ap- 
proaching us  the  cavalry,  headed  by  an  infanty  regiment  of 
"  chasseurs  a  pied,"  who,  I  was  astonished  to  observe,  were 
advancing  very  rapidly. 

As  it  approached,  there  first  of  all  trotted  very  proudly 
by  the  President,  with  bodies  half  shaved  and  tails  entirely 
shaved,  two  white  poodle-dogs  of  the  regiment.  Then  came 
trotting  by  on  foot,  waving  an  ornamented  pole,  a  magnifi- 
cently-dressed tall  tambour-major,t  followed  by  his  brass 
band,  all  of  whom,  playing  as  they  advanced,  trotted  by,  and 
then,  suddenly  wheeling  to  their  left,  formed  in  front  of  the 
President,  where  they  continued,  tambour-majox  and  all, 
dancing  up  and  down,  keeping  time  to  the  air  they  played. 
As  each  company  rapidly  advanced  their  appearance  was  not 
only  astonishing  but  truly  beautiful.  Although,  according 
to  French  regulations,  they  had  come  to  the  review,  not  only 
in  heavy  marching  order  (knapsacks  and  great-coats),  but 
laden  with  camp  kettles  and  pans  for  ioup,  &o.  (they  are  not 
allowed  when  reviewed  to  leave  anything  behind),  they  ad- 
vanced and  passed  with  an  ease  and  lightness  of  step  it  is 
quite  impossible  to  describe,  and  which  I  am  sensible  can 
scarcely  be  believed,  unless  it  has  been  witnessed.  In  this 
way  they  preceded  the  cavalry,  who  were  at  a  trot ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  last  company  had  passed  the  President,  the  band 
and  tambour-major,  who  had  never  ceased  dancing  for  an  in- 
stant, accompanied  by  the  two  white  half-shaved  poodle  dogs, 
darted  after  them,  uatil  the  whole  disappeared  from  view. 

On  expressing  my  astonishment  at  the  pace  at  which  thej 
had  passed,  I  was  assured  by  two  or  three  general  oflGicers,  as 
well  as  by  the  President  himself,  that  the  "  chasseurs  a  pied" 


*  Quick  march. 


f  Drum-major. 


Ai^ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEFNCII  STICKS. 


^  in  tlie  French  service  can,  in  heavy  marching,  keep  up  with 
*1he  cavalry  at  a  trot  for  two  leagues;  indeed,  they  added,  if 
necessary,  for  a  couple  of  hours ; — the  eflfeot  no  doubt  of  the 
gymnastic  exercises  I  had  witnessed,  and  which  I  had  been 
truly  told  by  the  French  officers  superintending  them  were 
instituted  for  the  purpose  of  giving  actisity  and  celerity  of 
•  movement  to  the  troops.  The  chasseurs  h.  pied  are  armed 
with  the  new  internally  grooved  French  carbine,  the  extraor- 
dinary range  of  which  I  have  described;  and  as  their  fire  is 
deadly  at  a  distance  more  than  three  times  greater  than  that 
of  the  English  ordinary  musket,  their  power  of  speedilv 
advancing,  and,  if  necessary,  as  speedily  running  away,  all 
added  together,  form  advantages  which,  it  is  submitted,  are 
worthy  of  the  very  serious  consideration  of  the  British  na- 
tion. 

After  a  variety  o^  manoeuvres  of  infantry  and  cavalry, 
separately  and  cpTixbined,  the  latter  charged  up  the  Champ 
de  Mars  in  line.  The  sound  of  their  approaching  was  like 
that  of  distant  thunder ;  but  as  their  pace  freshened,  their 
disorder  increased,  until,  on  the  word  "  Halt !"  being  sound- 
ed, they  wore  far  from  forming  a  compact  line.  During  the 
charge  a  horse  fell,  and  the  President,  riding  up  to  the  man, 
very  kindly  inquired  of  him  whether  he  was  much  hurt.  His 
trousers  were  rubbed  into  holes ;  he  had  taken  his  stock  o£f ; 
and  was  altogether  considerably  jumbled  both  in  body  and 
mind  ;  however,  with  a  comrade  on  each  side,  and  a  surgeon 
on  foot  behind  him,  he  managed,  sometimes  walking  and 
sometimes  reeling  a  little,  to  get  off  the  field. 

The  review  was  now  over,  and  accordingly  the  President 
(after  the  expression  in  a  very  pleasing  tone  and  manner  of 
a  few  words  of  approbation  to  the  General  commanding  and 
to  the  principal  officers  of  his  staff  ^  returned  along  the  ave- 
nue  of  the  Champ  de  Elys6es  to  his  palace,  in  the  yard  of 
which  he  took  leave  of  the  same  crowd  of  officers  assembled 
there  in  the  morning,  and  who  during  the  day  had  accom- 
panied him. 


*  i 


PHISOS  MODELE, 


448 


PEISON  MODilLB. 

From  the  Elys^e,  as  I  was  haBtening  to  my  lodging,  I  ordered , 
the  Gommiflsionaire  standing  at  the  corner  of  my  street  to  get 
ine  a  fiacre ;  during  the  few  moments  he  was  employed  in  doing 
so  I  changed  my  clothing,  and  in  the  course  of  httle  more  thffu 
half  an  hour  found  myself,  by  myself,  standing  gazing  at  tho 
lofty  loopholed  dead  walls,  30  feet  hiffh,  and  ^^zterior  massive 
gate  of  the  great  Prison  commonly  called  "  La  Nouvelle  I'oroe" 
or  "  Prison  Module,"  on  the  outside  of  which,  in  grcj  coaip,  red 
epaulettes,  and  scarlet  trousers,  were  reposing  on  stone  benches 
a  guard,  composed  of  a  lieutenant,  two  sergeants,  four  corpo- 
rals, and  51  soldiers,  who  watch  dver  the  building  night  and 
day.  All  looked  indolent  or  half  asleep,  save  a  f-^w^  wLv), 
as  if  to  keep  themselyes  awake,  were  smoking — s  ..vling—- 
smoking — 

"  Aud  thuB  on  ti\l  wisdom  is  push'd  out  of  life.** 

On  ringing  the  bell  tho  gate  slowly  opened,  and,  passing 
across  a  short  space,  I  was,  on  the  production  of  my  special  or- 
der of  admission,  conducted  through  another  gate  into  the  inte- 
rior of  the  prison,  which  during  the  horrors  of  the  revolution  of 
1792  was  twice  in  the  hands  of  the  infuriated  populace,  who,  in 
September  of  that  dreadful  year,  in  cold  blood  massacred  within 
it  160  persons,  among  whom  was  the  unfortunate  Princesse  de 
Lamballe. 

On  arriving  at  the  "  Bureau  Oentral  da  Brigadier,"*  I  en- 
tered a  small  detached  o£Bice,  containing  six  windows,  from  each 
of  which,  like  a  large,  fat,  black  spider  looking  at  once  over 
half  of  his  web,  I  saw  radiating  befcve  me  six  passages,  each 
264  feet  long,  separating  six  set^i  of  buildings,  three  stories 
high.  Every  one  of  these  buildings,  or  rather  narrow  slices  ot 
a  building,  was  a  prison,  containing  on  each  of  its  three  floors 
70  separate  cells,  or  altogether  210  cells.  From  the  oentral 
office  my  eye  consequently  glanced  along  passages  below  and 

~  «  Oentral  OflBce  of  the  Brigadier.  -  -    "?^ 


y> 


444 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS, 


galleries  above,  communioating  altogether  with  1260  separate 

cells. 

On  asking  the  superintendent  to  be  so  good  as  to  explain 
to  me  the  nature  of  the  ourious-looking  establishment  over 
which  he  presided,  Ike  told  me  its  olijects  were  two-fold — 

1st.  The  prevention  of  crime ; 

2nd.  The  retention  of  those  who  were  supposed  to  have 
committed  crime.  * 

£[e  added  that  it  contained  only  males,  the  first  class  beggars 
and  <'  vagabonds"  forwarded  by  the  police  to  be  retained  fox 
three  or  four  weeks;  the  second  (who  composed  by  far  the 
greater  proportion)  robbers  and  assassins,  usually  confined 
three  or  four  months  previous  to  their  trial ;  and  having  given 
me  this  information,  he  obli^in^ly  desired  one  of  his  subordi- 
nates to  ti^e  me  over  the  buildmgs. 

At  the  entrance  of  each  of  the  six  passages,  I  found  on  a  level 
with  my  face  three  hooks  and  a  little  round  mouth-piece.  The 
former  were  bells,  communicating  with  the  galleries  of  the  three 
stories ;  1^  latter  a  speaking-trumpet,  or  "  porte-voix,"  commu- 
nicating with  each  and  common  to  all.  By  this  simple  arrange-, 
ment  the  superintendent,  if  he  wishes  to  communicate  with  the 
surveillant  or  keeper  of  anv  one  of  the  three  galleries  of  any 
one  of  the  six  prisons  which  converge  upon  his  office,  has  only 
first. to  call  his  attention  by  ringing  his  oell,  and  then,  tbrougn 
the  mouth-piece,  t'^  whisper  into  his  ear  through  the  speaking- 
trumpet  wnatever  he  may  wish  to  say ;  moreover,  by  putting 
his  own  ear  to  the  "  porte-voix,"  he  can  hear  whatever  answer 
tlbie  surveillant  may  have  to  give  to  him. 

On  the  ground-door  are  constructed,  for  each  of  the  six 
prisons,  seven  cells  "de  Pairloir."  On  opening  one,  I  saw 
almost  touching  the  door,  which  had  receded  from  it,  a  wooden 
bench,  immediately  opposite  to  which  was  an  open  grating  or 
window,  secured  by  three  iron  bars ;  beyond,  at  a  digtance  of 
three  feet,  was  another  crating,  similarly  barre4  and  secured. 
The  object  of  this  triple  arrangement  is  to  enable  the  prison- 
ers— ^robbers,  assassins,  and  all — to  receive  the  visits  of  their 
friends  from  eleven  to  tliree  on  Mondays  and  Fridays:  the 
interview  is  curiously  arranged  as  follows : — 

The  prisoner,  carefully  conducted  from  his  cell,  is  allowed 
to  enter  and  sit  upon  the  bench  of  one  of  the  seven  «  Parloirs," 
or  speaking  cells,  the  door  of  which,  at  his  back,  is  then  closed 


m. 


PmSON  MODELS. 


449 


and  locked ;  between  the  two  gratings  in  front  of  him  is  sta- 
tioned a  keeper,  beyond  whom  the  culprit  sees,  as  in  a  kit-kat. 
picture,  the  hair,  face,  throat,  body,  arms,  and  hands,  of  the 
wife,  father,  mother,  sister,  brother,  or  friend,  male  or  female, 
who  has  come  to  see  him.  The  duty  of  the  keeper,  caged 
between  both,  is  not  only  to  listen  to  all  that  is  said,  but  to 
pirevent  the  transmission  between  the  parties  of  any  substance^ 
whatever. 

On  each  of  the  three  galleries  of  each  of  the  six  prisons  are 
constantly  patrolling  two  surveillants,  six  for  each  prison. 
Every  cell  is  ten  feet  long,  six  feet  broad,  and,  including  its 
vaulted  roof,  nine  feet  high.  At  the  top  of  the  wall,  opposite 
to  the  door,  over  which  reposes  a  shelf  15  inches  broad,  is  a 
small  window  of  four  panes  of  plate  glass  fluted,  so  as  to  admit 
liglit  and  yet  completely  to  -disturb  the  line  of  viRion.  On  the 
oak:  floor  lies  a  palliasse  and  blanket ;  also  a  small  table,  and  in 
the  corner  a  well-arranged  water-closet.  The  cell,  as  well  as 
the  whole  interior  of  the  prison,  is  maintained  at  a  proper 
temperature  by  pipes  of  hot  water. 

On  a  prisoner  being  led  into  his  cell,  he  is  given  by  his 
conductor  a  black  "plaquet,"  or  round  ticket,  on  which  is 
inscribed  on  one  side,  in  white  letters,  the  numbers  of  the 
division,  story,  and  cell,  in  which  he  is  confined ;  hung  on  the 
outside  of  his  door,  it  indicates  the  cell  is  full.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  plaquet  is  inscribed  "  Au  Palais,"*  and  when  by 
reversing  the  ticket  this  iiotice  is  made  to  appear,  the  inspector, 
keeper,  or  any  one  passing  along  the  gallery,  who  reads  it,  is 
reminded  that  the  tenant  of  that  cell  is  absent  on  his  trial. 
Any  prisoner,  by  pulling  a  sort  of  bell-handle  in  his  cell,  can 
cause  to  dart  out  into  the  passage  an  iron  blade,  "  indicateur," 
indicative  to  the  keeper  that  he  wishes  to  speak  to  him. 

In  each  cell  is  a  bee's-wing  of  gas,  which,  lighted  at  dark, 
is  allowed  to  remain  burning  till  9  p.  m.,  when,  by  the  turning 
of  a  handle,  the  captives  throughout  the  prison  are  simultane- 
ously thrown  into  utter  darkness.  In  the  door  is  a  small  hole 
covered,  through  which  the  keepers  alone — ^for  strangers  are 
not  allowed  to  do  so — can  peep  at  the  prisoner  without  his 
knowledge;  below  is  a  small  wicket-shutter,  a  foot  long  by 
seven  inches  broad,  for  the  admission  of  his  food.  Every 
prisoner  is  allowed  a  clean  shirt  once  a  week,  and  sheets  onoe 
a  fortnight. 

*  At  the  Court  of  Justice. 


446 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGE  STICKS. 


We  next  proceeded  to  sixteen  cells  on  the  ground-floor, . 
each  containing  a  zinc  bath,  supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water, 
in  which  every  prisoner  ia  soaked  and  scrubbed  on  his  arrival, 
and  afterwards  whenever  prescribed  by  "le  M6decin."  In 
each  of  the  six  prisons  are  25  double  cells,  to  enable  a  nurse 
or  keeper,  when  necessary,  to  sleep  in  the  cell  of  a  sick  pris- 
oner. My  conductor  now  led  me  into  the  "  Pharmaoie,"  in 
which,  as  the  principal  medicine,  I  found  boiling  four  large 
caldrons  full  of  "  tisane,"  which,  in  the  public  charities  of 
Paris,  appears  to  be  a  specific  for  all  disorders. 

To  communicate  with  the  upper  cells,  there  appears,  out- 
side the  doors  of  all,  a  narrow  gallery,  only  2  ft.  10  in.  broad, 
on  the  exterior  rail  of  which  is  a  contrivance  to  admit  a  small 
train  of  trays,  full  of  food,  for  each  meal,  to  run  on  wheels  as 
on  a  railway,  by  which  means,  and  by  the  additional  assistance 
on  the  uppermost  story  of  a  wheel  and  axle,  provisions  can  be 
distributed  throughout  the  whole  prison,  to  all  the  cells,  in 
twenty  minutes.  The  prisoners  have  for  breakfast,  bread  and 
soup  ;  for  dinner,  vegetables,  potatoes,  haricos,  and  three  days 
a  week,  one-third  of  a  pound  of  meat ;  for  supper,  bread. 
Those  who  have  money — strange  to  say — are  allowed  to  pur- 
chase from  a  woman  (cantiniere),  within  the  prison,  whatever 
diet  they  like ;  the  only  limit  being,  that  these  suffering  sin- 
ners must  not — ^poor  fellows — drink  more  than  a  bottle  of 
wine  per  day. 

Each  of  the  six  divisions,  or  prisons,  has  a  circular  court, 
called  a  Promenoir,  subdivided  by  20  walls,  10  feet  high,  run- 
ning in  the  form  of  radii  from  the  centre,  where,  in  a  small 
tower,  containing  a  spiral  staircase,  is  posted  a  surveillant, 
who,  by  merely  turning  on  his  heel,  can  look  into  each  of  the 
20  subdivisions,  which  are  42  feet  in  length,  three  in  breadth 
at  the  end  near  the  watch-tower,  1 5  at  the  far  end,  and  which, 
encircled  by  a  wall,  are  bounded  by  iron  railings,  also  10  feet 
high.  In  each  of  these  20  wedge-shaped  courts,  at  the  broad 
end  of  which  is  a  small  shed  for  rainy  weather,  a  prisoner  is 
allowed  to  enjoy  air  and  exercise  for  one  hour  every  day,  com- 
mencing at  8  o'clock. 

Concentric  with  the  railings  that  form  the  exterior  of  the 
circular  promenade  is  a  paved  space,  round  which  a  .keeper 
may  walk,  looking  successively  into  each  court.  In  following 
along  this  narrow  space,  I  observed  that  the  suryeilla,nt  who  was 


I 


PEISON  MODELS. 


447 


conducting  rje  apparently  purposely  avoided  even  to  glance 
into  any  of  tiie  courts.  I,  however,  looked  very  directly  into 
one,  in  which  I  beheld  a  human  being  whose  appearance  I 
shall  not  easily  forget.  He  was  a  tall  thin  man,  of  about  35 
years  of  age,  dressed  in  the  prison  garb,  coarse  grey  clothes 
and  wooden  sabots.  His  hair,  cut  quite  close,  wildly  contrasted 
with  his  long  dishevelled  beard  and  mustachios.  Confinement 
appeared  to  have  inflamed  all  his  wicked  passions  to  a  state 
bordering  on  madness ;  and  the  look  he  first  darted  at  me, 
and  the  ferocity  which  seemed  to  be  rapidly  increasing  with- 
in him  every  instant  he  glared  at  me,  were  such  that  I  really 
almost  expected  to  see  him  spring  like  a  wild  beast  against 
the  bars  of  his  cage.  After  I  had  passed  him,  the  conductor 
told  me  he  was  an  assassin  of  the  worst  description. 

Beturning  to  the  "  Bureau  Central  du  Brigadier,"  from 
which  I  had  commenced,  we  ascended  a  small  staircase  to 
an  upper  story,  where  I  found  a  little  chapel,  looking  down 
all  the  six  alleys  at  once,  containing  a  marble  altar  5ft.  Gin. 
long  by  four  Teet  deep,  surmounted  by  a  small,  white  plaster 
statue  of  the  Virgin,  and  above  that  a  large  gilt  one  of  our 
Saviour  on  the  Cross :  before  this  altar  the  priest  of  the  estab 
lishment  performs  mass  to  the  whole  of  the  1260  prisoners, 
whose  doors,  by  means  of  a  chain,  which  allows  them  to  be 
ajar,  are  slightly  opened  in  order  to  allow  each  to  catch  a 
squinting  glimpse  of  the  various  movements  of  the  holy  man, 
whose  prayers  I  should  think  could  not  possibly  be  wafted 
to  all. 

We  next  entered  several  magazines,  full  of  materials  for 
such  of  the  prisoners  as  choose  to  work,  in  which  case  they 
are  paid  for  what  they  do.  It  appears  that  the  inmates,  be- 
sides enjoying  food  according  to  their  money,  may,  according 
to  their  inclination,  be  industrious  or  idle  as  they  think 
proper. 

My  conductor,  opening  a  door,  now  led  me  into  a  library, 
containing  about  1600  volumes,  historical  and  religious,  lent 
to  those  who  desire  to  read.  As  soon  as  I  entered,  from  the 
opposite  end  there  slowly  approached  me,  just  like  one  of 
the  three  cats  shut  up  in  the  warehouse  of  lost  goods  at  the 
railway  terminus  of  the  Chemin  de  Fer  du  Nord,  the  poor  li- 
brarian, who  seemed  thankful,  not  only  for  every  word  I  ut« 
tered  to  him,  but  even  for  the  sight  of  the  face  of  a  stranger. 


448 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  .STICKS. 


\ 


In  proceeding  towards  the  cooking  diepartment  I  camd  iu; 
a  yard  to  several  sets  of  rails,  on  which  were  some  little  car-" 
riages  4^  feet  long  by  three  feet  broad,  containing  12  mova-' 
ble  iron  shelves  or  trays,  each  containing  the  rations  of  18; 
men.     I  followed  the  train  for  about  100  yards  to  its  termi- 
nus, where  the  carriages  all  descended  from  view  to  a  series  of 
subterranean  rails,  along  which  they  proceeded  until  they  came 
beneath  machinery,  by  which  each  was  hoisted  by  pulleys  up 
a  square  chimney  to  the  gallery  to  which  it  was  consigned. 
On  entering  the  kitchen,  I  found  the  cookery  of  the  whole  de- 
partment, 1 260  prisoners,  officers,  servants,  and  all,  scientifi- 
cally performed  in  six  caldrons,  over  which  hung  a  canopy 
for  carrying  away  the  steam  and  smoke. 

My  guide  now  informed  me,  in  reply  to  my  queries  on  the 
subject,  that  the  "personnel"  or  strength  of  the  establishment 
is  composed  as  follows  :— 

Director, 

Clerks, 

Priests, 

Medecin  ou  Pharmacien, 

Lauudry-woman,  in  charge  of  the  linen  washed  by  con- 


1 
4 

2 
1 
1 

tract, 
1 
4 


Brigadier-en-chef  des  Surveillants, 
Sous-Brigadiers, 
62  Surveillants  (keepers), 

4  Cooks,  assisted  by  three  of  the  prisoners. 
Total— 81. 

Besides  the  Model  Prison  in  which  I  stood,  there  are  in 
Paris,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Prefect  of  Police,  eight 
others,  as  also  a  military  prison,  under  the  Minister  of  War. 
In  the  whole  of  France  there  exist  391  prisons  of  diflferent 
descriptions  (namely,  maisons  d'arr^t,  maisons  centrales,  and 
bagnes),  containing  66,091  persons. 

As  I  was  about  to  leave  this  establishment  I  was  inform- 
ed I  had  overlooked  30  cells,  15  on  each  side  of  the  entrance 
gate,  in  which  prisoners  are  received  and  detained,  until  cer- 
tain formalities  have  been  performed,  and  until  the  baths  are 
ready  for  their  reception.  However,  as  I  had  now  arrived  at 
the  last  set  of  bolts  that  were  to  be  undrawn  to  allow  me  to 
depart,  I  had  not  fortitude  enough  to  return  to  the  interior, 
and,  accordingly,  proceeding  onwards,  I  have  seldom  enjoyed 


*• 


(  I 


-,   y^ 


'V: 


PERE  LA  CHAISE. 


440 


a"  more  agreeable  contrast  than  when,  on  coming  into  the 
space  in  front  of  the  great  prison  from  which  I  had  just  been 
refeased,  I  beheld  close  before  me  the  Embarcadere  or  ter- 
minus of  the  Lyons  Railway,  the  emblem  of  liberty  and  loco- 
motion. 


•  •  • 


Pi:RE  LA  CHAISE. 


ff 


As  on  the  morning  previous  to  the  review  I  had  received 
from  my  oculist  his  last  prescription,  I  was  exceedingly  anx- 
ious to  take  it  and  my  eyes  to  Old  England.  On  reflection, 
however,  I  felt  there  remained  half  a  day's  work  for  each  of 
them  to  perform.  On  the  Place  de  la  Bastille  I  therefore 
stopped  a  fiacre  that  was  hobbling  by,  and  having  taken  my 
seat,  and  by  means  of  a  handle  inside  having  very  carefully 
fastened  the  door,  I  told  the  coachman's  large  face,  which  on 
looking  upwards  I  found  close  to  my  own,  where  it  was  to 
go  ;  and,  accordingly,  out  of  the  innumerable  streets  which  in 
all  directions  radiate  from  the  place  from  which  we  were 
about  to  start,  he  selected  that  which,  without  turning  to  the 
right  or  left,  ran  straight  to  the  scene  I  was  desirous  to  visit, 
— the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise. 

I  had  taken  so  much  interest  in  the  various  objects  I  had 
hitherto  visited,  that  almost  habitually  as  I  approached  them 
I  had  experienced,  by  anticipation,  a  portion  of  the  pleasure 
the  realization  of  my  curiosity  subsequently  afforded  me.  In 
the  present  instance,  however,  every  time  the  poor  horse  nod- 
ded his  jaded  head,  every  time  the  driver  whipped  his  neck, 
and  every  time  the  carriage  jolted  over  the  commonest  des- 
cription of  loose  stones,  I  felt  that  somehow  or  other  I  was  a 
loser  by  the  ojperation  ;  that  something  pleasurable  had  been 
shaken  out  of  me  ;  in  fact,  that  as  I  approached  the  mansions 
of  the  dead  I  was  infinitesimally  becoming  less  and  less 
cheerful ;  and  what  in  my  sinking  condition  appeared  to 
me  to  be  anything  but  consoling  was  that  the  Rue  de  la  Ro- 
quette  at  every  step  of  the  horse  was  evidently  also  becoming 
more  and  more  gloomy. 


450 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


The  gaiety  of  Paris  appeared  not  only  to  be  fading  away, 
but  to  be  rapidly  dying.  At  first  the  houses  merely  grew 
poor-looking  and  a  little  smaller;  then  came  a  dead  wall, 
then  an  open  shop  full  of  tombstones,  then  a  few  houses,  then 
a  rather  long  dead  wall,  then  a  good  many  houses,  then  a  shop 
full  of  bright  round  wreaths  of  yellow  immortelles,  then  a 
couple  of  houses,  then  a  shop  full  of  nothing  but  jet  black 
wreaths  and  white  ones,  then  one  teeming  with  yellow  ones: 
at  last,  after  passing  another  dead  wall,  we  came  to  a  climax 
of  woe,  made  up  of  shops  full,  one  after  another,  of  monu- 
ments, images,  statues,  and  crosses,  of  all  shapes,  sizes,  and 
prices. 

After  gradually  ascending  for  nearly  half  a  mile  along  the 
paved  gloomy  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  above  described, 
the  caleche,  after  having  passed  the  Barriere  d'Aunay,  stopped 
at  the  lofty  iron  entrance  gates  of  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la 
Chaise,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  dismissed  my  driver,  I  found 
myself  in  the  centre  of  a  scene  which  really  quite  amazed  me. 

Between  the  railings  of  the  iron  gate,  and  towering  above 
the  dead  wall  that  surrounds  the  cemetery,  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  confused  variety  of  the  monuments,  obelisks,  crosses,  &c,, 
I  had  expressly  come  to  visit.  But  what  arrested,  and  indeed 
for  some  minutes  entirely  engrossed  my  attention,  was  a  crowd 
of  women  seated  for  a  considerable  length  on  each  side  of  the 
wall,  close  to  different-coloured  umbrellas  protecting  from  the 
sun  large  piles  of  bright  yellow,  snow-white,  and  rusty  black 
round  "  forget-me-not"  immortelles  of  various  sizes,  and  yet, 
not  satisfied  with  such  a  stock,  these  women  were  busily  oc- 
cupied in  making  sepulchral  wreath .  faster  than  one  would 
conceive  it  could  be  possible  to  sell  them.  Besides  which 
there  were  tastily  arranged  and  suspended  upon  the  dead  wall 
garlands  and  crosses  of  everlasting  flowers  of  all  colours — ^blue, 
yellow,  green,  orange,  with  spotted  blue  and  white.  In  what- 
ever direction  I  walked,  sometimes  before  me,  sometimes  be- 
hind me,  sometimes  on  each  side,  and  sometimes  from  all  sides 
at  once,  cheerful-looking  women  in  different  voices  were  ear- 
nestly advising  me  to  buy  either  a  sepulchral  wreath,  cross,  or 
garland.  The  only  sister  of  the  lot  that  did  not  address  me 
was  a  very  ugly  one  with  an  olive-coloured  face,  black  hair, 
brown  comb,  and  no  cap,  employed  in  eating  with  a  stick,  out 
of  a  dark-coloured  earthen  pot,  grass-green  spinach. 


1  / 


'^  \ 


\V 


PEIiE  LA   CJIAISE. 


451 


On  passing  through  the  iron  gates,  between  two  lodges,  on 
one  of  whioh  I  observed  inscribed  in  large  letters — 

"  Bepvbuque  Feanqaisi^" 

and  on  the  other 

*'LlBEBTil,  FBATERNrrE,  EgAUTB,"— 

my  eyes  and  mind  were  completely  bewildered  by  the  sudden 
appearance  of  a  forest  of  monuments,  which  looked  as  if  the 
tenants  of  the  innumerable  graves  before  me  had,  one  and  all, 
in  the  various  attitudes  of  their  respective  tombs,  arisen  to 
declare  that  even  in  the  republic  below  ground  there  exists  the 
same  desire  for  distinction  which  the  soi-disant  republicans  of 
Paris,  in  mockery  of  their  own  theory,  are  everywhere  dis- 
playing. 

Not  knowing  how  to  grapple  with  such  a  variety  of  forms, 
I  stopped  almost  in  despair  at  the  very  first  monument  on  my 
left ;  a  little  house  or  chapel  about  six  feet  square,  and  about 
ten  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  cross,  beneath  which  was 
inscribed — 

"  Sepulture  Chevalier-Quyot  et  de  la  Famille  Gaidon."* 

On  peeping  through  the  open  latticed  work  which  formed  the 
upper  naif  of  the  door,  I  saw  within,  a  marble  altar,  upon 
which  appeared  a  long  plated-silver  cross,  two  lofty  plated- 
silvcr  candlesticks,  two  opaque  glass  vases  full  of  flowers,  a 
plated-silver  mug  for  holding  holy  water,  and  a  silver-handled 
hair-brush  for  sprinkling  it,  In  front  of  the  altar  and  touch- 
ing it  were  a  pair  of  china  flower-pots,  containing  artificial 
flowers,  with  two  ebony-backed  Prie-Dieu  chairs.  On  the 
walls  hung  a  couple  of  yellow  wreaths  of  immortelles,  and  ten 
white  one& ;  on  one  of  the  latter  W8S  inscribed  in  black  letters, 

"  a  mon  amU."  \ 

The  next  monument  I  looked  into  had  been  similarly  fur- 
nished, except  that  at  the  back  of  the  altar  was  a  window  of 
stained  glass,  and  on  one  of  four  yellow  immortelles  the  words 

•  Tomb  of  the  Chevalier  Guyot  and  of  the  family  Gaidon. 
f  To  my  friend.  %  My  father. 


453 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FJiFJVCff  STICKS. 


For  a  few  moments  I  stopped  before  several  flat  tombstones, 
surrounded  by  iron  rails  supporting  an  iron  trough  reversed,' 
under  whioh,  protected  from  rain,  bung  a  quantity  of  yellow 
wreaths. 

As  I  was  loitering  among  these  stones,  I  observed  a  re-' 
speotable-looking  man  of  about  50  years  of  age,  watching  me 
like  a  wolf;  and  as  I  was  quite  as  much  in  want  of  him  as  he 
of  me,  I  beckoned  to  him,  and  with  great  pleasure  enlisted 
him  in  my  service.  As  soon,  however,  as  I  began  to  interro- 
gate my  ally  (one  of  the  official  guides  of  the  cemetery)  he 
began  to  dispute,  and  his  remonstrances  became  so  lotid,  he 
shrugged  up  his  shoulders  so  violently,  and  with  the  palms 
of  his  hands  upwards,  he  extended  his  arms  to  such  an  extra- 
ordinary length,  that,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  be  seen  engaged  in 
a  colloquial  duel  among  the  tombs,  I  was  obliged  very  quietly 
to  decline  to  proceed  with  him,  unless  he  would  consent  to  be 
guided  by  my  notions — ^in  short,  follow  my  wishes  instead  of 
his  own. 

The  subject  of  our  altercation  was  briefly  as  follows : — In 
the  cemeteries  of  Paris  there  are  three  descriptions  of  graves— 

1st.   Those  occupied  in  perpetuity ; 

2nd.   Those  leased  for  six  years ; 

3rd.  Those  in  which  the  dead  poor  are  gratuitously  al- 
lowed a  caravansar;^  or  resting-place  for  five  years. 

Now  what  my  friend  wanted  to  do  was  to  hurry  me  straight 
off  to  that  part  of  the  cemetery  occupied  by  the  permanent 
graves,  in  order  that  then  and  there  he  might  zigzaggedly  con- 
duct me  to  the,  monuments  either  of  the  most  celebrated  men, 
or  of  the  finest  sculpture.  He  assured  me,  and  afterwards  in- 
sisted, that  that  was  the  usual,  regular,  best,  and  only  way  of 
procedure ;  and,  with  a  scoffing  movement  of  his  right  hand,  he 
added  that,  if  he  was  to  stop  where  I  wanted  him  to  stop,  and 
to  continue  to  give  me  the  trifling  information  I  appeared  to 
desire,  I  should  see  nothing,  learn  nothing,  and,  lastly,  should 
occupy  the  whole  of  his  day. 

Now,  as  the  sting  of  all  his  objections  evidently  lay  not  in 
tiie  head  but  in  the  tail  or  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  I  oon-- 
sidered  it  unnecessary  to  wound  his  feelings  by  confessing  to 
him  my  total  disregard  for  the  bones,  masonry,  iron,  and  sil- 
ver, which  he  appeared  to  venerate.  In  answer,  therefore,  to 
his  numerous  shrugs  and  objections,  I  merely  expounded  to 


i  ' 


PERE  LA  CHAISE. 


453 


&im  vei*y  clearly  that,  inasmuoli  as  it  was  my  intention  to  paj 
'  him  very  liberally  by  the  Jiour^  the  more  of  his  time  I  wasted 
the  better  it  would  be  for  him ;  and  as  an  idea,  like  lightning, 
travels  infinitely  faster  than  the  heavy  thundering  words  by 
which  it  is  conveyed,  so,  long  before  my  explanation  was  con- 
cluded, every  line  of  argument  had  not  only  relaxed  from  his 
countenance,  but  had  vanished  from  his  figure,  both  of  which 
seemed  to  say, 

"It  must  be  so— Plato,  thou  reasonest  welll" 

As  soon  as  we  had,  in  perfect  good  fellowship,  sufficiently 
smiled  at  each  other,  I  asked  him  to  be  so  good  as  to  take  me 
to  the  common  pit,  "  fosse  commune."  "  Bien,  Monsieur  !"  he 
replied ;  and  suiting  his  action  to  the  words,  off  he  merrily  led 
me  across  an  open  uninteresting  space  of  about  sixteen  acres, 
which  looked  very  like  a  ploughed  field,  but  as  we  were  cross- 
ing it  T  ascertained  that  its  history  is  much  more  remarkable 
than  its  appearance.  Only  a  few  years  ago  this  area,  which 
had  been  completely  filled  with  "  temporary  graves,"  was  cov- 
ered with  a  beautiful  shrubbery  of  cypresses.  At  the  expira- 
tion, however,  of  the  lease  the  living  had  granted  to  the  dead, 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  convert  the  ground  from  a  level 
to  the  acclivity  which  forms  the  characteristic  feature  of  the 
cemetery.  Instead,  therefore,  of  ejecting  the  tenants,  they 
were  completely  covered  by  an  avalanche  of  new-made  earth, 
that  was  rolled  over  all,  and  thus,  at  a  depth  in  some  places 
of  30  feet,  these  sixteen  acres  of  pauper  corpses  will  lie  undis- 
turbed beneath  the  stratum  of  new  graves  which  in  due  time 
will  be  imposed  upon  them. 

My  guide  had  scarcely  given  me  this  information  when  I 
saw  immediately  on  my  left  a  hearse  driven  by  a  man  in  a 
cocked  hat,  and  followed  by  three  persons,  of  whom  two  were 
in  mourning ;  and  as  the  party  were  evidently  proceeding  to 
the  "  fosse  commune,"  I  hurried  on,  and  reached  the  spot  a  few 
seconds  before  it  arrived. 

Just  tit  the  moment  it  stopped,  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  a  deep  broad  ditch  beneath  me,  in  which  was  a  man  rather 
oddly  dressed  standing  beside  a  long  series  of  coffins,  placed 
together  in  threes  side  by  side,  and  I  had  scarcely  glanced  on 
them  when,  on  looking  round  for  the  hearse,  I  saw  it  trotting 
away,  probably  for  another  poor  person's  coffin.     That  which 


454 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


it  had  brought  was  in  the  hands  of  four  men  in  rusty  black 
clothes,  who,  walking  rather  quickly  to  the  edge  of  the  ditch, 
lowered  it  by  moans  of  ropes  to  the  labourer  beneath,  who  in  a 
few  seconds  placed  it  in  its  destination.  As  it  lay  there  I  ob- 
served that  it,  the  coffin,  was  made  of  common  white  wood,  had 
a  semi-hexagonal  top,  on  which  there  appeared  nothing  but  a 
few  black  letters  designating  the  name  of  the  man  who  had  made 
it,  and  a  little  bit  of  lead,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  square,  upon 
which  was  impressed  the  number,  or  "num^ro,"  of  tlie  dead. 

In  front  of  the  hearse  I  had  observed,  only  for  a  moment 
(for  ho  was  quite  unpleasant  to  look  at),  strutting  as  if  he  con- 
sidered himself  to  be  of  vast  importance,  a  tall,  stout  person, 
or  personage,  dressed  in  a  cocked  hat,  black  coat  of  superfine 
clotli  fitting  uncomfortably  tight,  and  a  fine  belt,  who,  as  soon 
as  the  four  men  in  dingy  black  had  handed  down  the  coffin,  put 
himself  at  their  head  and  marched  off.  In  a  whisper  I  asked 
my  guide  who  he  was.  "  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  with  a  coun- 
tenance overflowing  with  respect  and  astonishment  at  my  igno- 
rance, "  c'est  I'ordonnateur  aux  pompes  funebres  !"* 

Two  of  the  three  persons  who  had  followed  the  hearse  also 
immediately  departed  ;  the  last  remaining  friend,  walking  to 
the  edge  of  the  pit,  and  then  stooping  downwards,  handed  to 
the  man  beneath,  who  had  received  the  coffin,  two  round  bright 
yellow  immortelles,  with  a  paper  upon  which  was  written  the 
name  of  the  deceased,  and  he  also  then  walked  quickly  away. 

When  the  last  spark  of  affection  had  been  thus  extinguished, 
the  gravedigger,  whose  face  and  arms  were  sunburnt  and  brown, 
and  was  dressed  in  a  white  shirt,  with  blue  trousers,  confined 
round  the  waist  by  an  old  scarlet  and  white  belt,  finally  adjusted 
the  coffin,  then  threw  over  it  with  his  spade  a  covering  of  earth 
about  half  an  inch  thick;  then  affixed  in  the  perpendicular  bank 
the  paper  and  two  yellow  immortelles  that  belonged  to  it,  and 
then,  there  being  nothing  else  in  the  whole  world  for  him  to 
do,  leaning  on  his  spade  he  rested  against  the  bank,  evidently 
waiting  for  another  coffin. 

The  arrangement  appeared  so  simple  and  so  sensible,  that 
I  could  not  help  expressing  to  my  guide,  that,  however  he 
might  admire  the  infinite  variety  which  characterised  the  "  per- 
petual graves,"  it  must  at  least  be  said  of  those  before  us  that 
their  inmates  found  in  them  a  republic  in  which  all  are  equal. 
"Non,  Monsieur,"  said  my  attendant,  gradually  closing  his 

*  Sir,  he  i»  director  of  the  Pompes-Funfebrea. 


I    i 


FERE  LA   CHAISE. 


455 


right  nostril  with  the  forefinger  of  his  dexter  hand ;  and  he 
then  proceeded  to  explain  to  me,  that,  with  respect  to  the  de- 
scription of  funeral  I  had  just  witnessed,  the  city  of  Paris  grants 
only  to  those  who  can  give  proofs  of  their  poverty — 

1st.  The  "convoi,"  i.  e.  hearse  with  the  ordonnateur  des 
Porapes  Funebres  and  his  attendants ; 

2nd.  The  coffin; 

3rd.  The  grave,  or  resting-place  for  the  dead,  ' 

That  a  corpse  failing  to  give  this  proof  of  its  poverty  has 
to  pay  to  the  city  a  tax  of  20  francs  ("  du  droit"),  also  seven 
francs  for  hs  coffin ;  the  grave  only  being  given,  to  it  gratis. 
He  added,  that  although  in  the  "  fosse  commune"  the  stratum  ^ 
of  dead  are  so  closely  packed  that  their  coffins,  like  paving- 
stones,  touch  each  other  all  round,  yet,  in  memory  of  each,  even 
the  very  poorest,  there  is  invariably  erected,  either  over  the 
coffin  or  as  near  it  as  possible,  a  little  rectangular  oak  railing, 
18  Inches  high,  enclosing  a  tiny  garden,  subsequently  orna- 
mented according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  deceased,  or  to 
those  of  his  friends — ^generally  with  cypresses  and  a  small 
wooden  chapel ;  sometimes  only  with  a  cross ;  indeed,  in  cases 
of  extreme  poverty,  some  friend  of  the  dead  has  been  known, 
within  the  little  railing  I  have  described,  to  erect  and  leave  be- 
hind him  his  walking-stick,  as  the  sole  bearer  of  the  inscription 
which,  under  all  circumstances,  records,  within  the  railing  that 
commemorates  the  grave,  the  name,  age,  and  date  of  death  of 
the  departed.  The  cost  of  the  little  distinctions  which  in  dif- 
ferent grades  ornament  the  gariien  graves  of  the  very  poorest 
inhabitants  of  that  portion  of  the  city  f5th,  6th,  7th,  8th,  and 
9th  arrondissements)  that  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la 
Chaise,  of  course  increases  or  diminishes  according  to  thpir 
value.  To  give,  however,  to  the  reader  a  general  idea  of  the 
cheapness  with  which  such  work  is  executed  in  Paris,  I  may 
state  that  the  usual  charge  for  the  "  entourage"  (railing  of  oak), 
two  cypresses,  and  flowers  for  a  grave  in  the  "  fosse  commune," 
is  only  15  francs.  At  the  expiration  of  about  seven  years,  or 
of  five  if  deemed  necessary,  all  these  slight  remembrances  are 
levelled,  and  a  new  set  of  tenants,  and  a  new  set  of  ornaments 
and  distinctions,  reign  in  their  stead  — 

*'  Nations  and  empires  rise  and  fall,  flourish  and  decay." 

Leaving  the  gravedigger  in  his  trench  still  leaning  against 
the  bank,  and  without  consulting  my  guide,  I  walked  to  a 


4-50 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


beautiful  grove  or  shrubbery  of  young  cypressei,  wliich  ap: 

E eared  to  cover  the  acclivity  of  the  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which 
ad  been  constructed  the  finest  portion  of  the  permanent 
monuments. 

On  entering  this  interesting  wilderness  I  found  it  composed 
of  the  "  fosses  temporairos,"  "  temporary  graves,"  six  feet  long 
and  three  broad,  each  of  which,  surrounded  by  its  little  oak 
railing,  was  almost  concealed  by  the  cypresses  and  roses  that 
flourished  and  bloomed  above  it.  Along  these  graves,  which 
appeared  very  regularly  arranged  side  by  side,  were  a  series  of 
paths,  running  east  and  west,  with  others  at  right  angles :  by 
^  which  arrangement,  the  cypress  labyrinth,  that  contained  them 
all,  could  be  penetrated  in  any  direction,  and  thus  every  grave 
could  easily  be  visited  by  whomsoever  it  might  be  held  dear. 

These  graves  were  somewhat  larger  than  those  of  the  "  fosse 
commune ;"  but  with  that  exception,  there  was  no  difference, 
save  that  within  and  beneath  the  small  padlocked  space  the 
body  it  commemorated  actually  reposed ;  whereas  in  the  garden 
graves  of  the  "  fosse  commune"  it  unavoidably  lay  some  feet  off 
in  a  direction  unknown. 

The  expenses  of  burial  in  these  temporary  abodes,  taken 
on  a  lease  for  not  less  than  five,  and  not  exceeding  ten  years, 
are  various.  For  instance,  for  a  poor  man,  whose  family  desire 
the  cheapest  possible  form,  the  charges  are,  ) 


To  the  church 

For  the  ground 

For  the  coffin  room-frdhi 

Heai'se,  ordonnateur,  dec. 


.     10  franc& 
.     60 
7  to  10 
.     27 


»» 
I* 


Total  from  94  to  97 


(For  the  above  tho  rich  pay  from  200  to  1000  franns,  and  for 
first-class  ceremonies  there  have  been  charged  7000.)  These 
funeral  expenses  do  not  include  the  decorations  of  the  garden, 
which  can  be  executed  for  about  40  francs,  as  follows : — 


An  "entourage"  (railing)  in  oak,  2^  feet  high  16  francs 
Croea  in  oak  and  inscription        .        .        .    10  „ 
Couvi'e-couronne  in  zinc     .        .        .        .      6    „ 
Four  cypress-trees  and  and  a  sanded  path  in 

form  of  a  cross,  and  edged  with  box        .     10    „ 


Total 


.    41 


■Ml 


i  I 


A«- 


PERS  LA  OIIAISK 

For*  tomUtoM  th*  •xtr*  eott  U  from  10 to  12  ffanoii 
Enffraving  way  100  letters  at  the  rate  of  one 
frano  for  every  ten  letten    .       .       .    10    „ 

Total       22    ., 


457 


Although  my  gaide  refrained  from  expressing  his  opinions, 
it  was  evident  he  took  no  interest  whatever  in  any  portion  of 
the  cemeterv  but  that  which  he  conceived  to  be  immortalized 
by  stone,  brick,  and  stout  iron  railings ;  and  as  it  was  distressing 
to  mo  to  observe  how  his  mind  kept  yearning  and  his  eyes  turning 
towards  the  hill  before  me,  I  told  nim  I  was  now  at  his  service, 
and  would  follow  him  wherever  he  liked.  With  a  bright 
countenance,  a  light  heart,  and  a  quick  step,  he  of  course  in- 
stantly posted  up  the  hill ;  at  the  summit  of  which  I  observed 
that  a  portion  of  the  beautiful  range  of  "  temporary  graves"  I 
had  been  admiring  had  been  lately  levelled,  in  order,  I  sup- 
pose, to  replace  the  subterranean  tenantry  by  permanent  land- 
lords  of  the  soil 

The  oak  railings  had  oompletely  disappeared;  in  some 
places  the  cypresses  I  had  so  much  admired  were  lying  brown 
and  dead  on  the  ground ;  in  other  parts  strong,  rich  grass  was 
waving  in  the  sunshine,  and  as  I  passed  through  the  mass  I 
now  and  then  trod  on  a  round  flowerless  immortelle  showing 
the  straw  of  which  it  had  been  made. 

The  first  monument  to  which  my  guide  conducted  me, 
perched  on  the  very  summit  of  the  hill,  consisted  of  a  lofty 
pyramid  with  a  gilt  conical  top,  the  whole  large  enough,  solid 
enough,  and  high  enough  for  a  lighthouse,  which  indeed  it  much 
resembled.  It  had  been  erected  by  a  person  of  no  celebrity, 
beyond  wealth,  appropriately  called  "  Monsieur  de  Beau-jour."* 

As  I  did  not  much  enioy  the  taste  of  this  sample,  I  talked 
to  my  guide  about  himself;  and  after  ascertaining  where  he 
lived,  and  what  family  he  nad,  I  asked  him  whether  the  late 
revolutions  in  Paris  had  in  any  way  affected  him. 

He  told  me  that  previous  to  1848  he  had  been  very  well  off, 
— "  j'ai  bien  gagn6  ma  vie  "f — ^but  since  that  period  he  had 
scarcely  earned  half  of  what  he  used  to  earn.  "  For  a  consider- 
able time,"  said  he,  "  after  the  revolution  we  had  no  travellers, 
no  English ;  et  enfin,"  he  added  with  a  shrug,  "  les  gens  qui 


*  Mr.  Fine-day, 


^flV 


f  I  gained  a  good  livelihood. 


458 


A  FAGQOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


nous  oherohent  ^  present  nous  donnent  pen  de  obose."*  With 
a  countenance  full  of  contempt  be  added,  "  lis  ne  sont  que  des 
Italiens,  et  des  nations  boulevers6es."t 

On  reaching  the  highest  part  of  the  cemetery,  from  which 
of  course  there  is  the  finest  view,  I  was  much  surprised  to  find 
the  uppermost  portion  principally  occupied  by  monuments, 
marked  with  the  usual  words,  "  Concession  a  perp6tuit6,"| 
bearing  English  inscriptions. 

On  the  first  that  attracted  my  attention  was  inscribed-— 

•'  Fanny, 

Wife  of 

Henry  T.  Anderson, 

of  New  York. 

Januaiy  1,  1844. 

A  few  yards  farther  I  came  to  a  very  handsome  one  in 
white  marble,  unmutilated  and  unsullied  even  by  an  observa- 
tion in  pencil,  bearing  the  following  inscription,  which  I  copied 
while  two  birds  close  to  me  were  singing,  as  delightfully  as  if 
they  had  been  hatched  in  England :— > 

"  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith, 

Admiral  of. the  Red, 

Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  the  Bath,  and  Orand  Crow 

of  several  Foreign  Orders,  «fec 

i  Born  21st  of  June,  1V64,  ' 

Died  26th  of  May,  1840. 


s't 


%   '- 


Peace  to  the  hero  who  undaunted  stood,  «    -    ^ 

When  Acre's  streets  were  red  with  Turkish  blood  I 

In  warlike  France,  where  gi'eat  Napoleon  rose. 

The  man  who  check'd  his  conquests  finds  repose : 

England,  who  claims  his  triumphs  as  her  own, 

Has  raised  for  him  this  monumental  stone ; 

This  tomb  which  marks  his  grave,  is  now  supplied 

By  friends  with  whom  he  lived,  midst  whom  he  died— > 

A  tribute  to  his  memory.    Here  beneath 

Lies  the  bold  heart  of  England's  Sidney  Smith." 


*  And  after  all,  the  people  who  now  seek  for  us  give  us  very  little. 
\  They  are  nothing  out  Italians^  and  the  inhabitants  of  overturned 
nations. 


X  Leased  for  ever. 


h  im'ii  'M ' 


l! 


PEBE  LA  CHAISE, 


'459 


Nearly  opposite  I  observed  a  chaste  and  simple  white  mar- 
ble monument  to 

"The  Right  Hon. 
'*  ^  Sir  William  Keppel, 

Knight  Grand  Croas  of  the  Military  Order 
of  the  Bath.' 


f  For  a  considerable  time  I  wandered  through  an  immense 
confusion  of  sarcophagi,  pyramids,  obelisks,  mausoleums,  tem- 
ples, chapels,  columns,  urns,  cenotaphs,  and  sepulchral  monu- 
ments of  all  heights,  shapes,  and  sizes,  most  of  them  surrounded 
by  iron  railings,  within  which  sometimes  I  found  beautiful 
flowers,  sometimes  weeds,  and  sometimes  nothing  but  stinging- 
nettles  ;  in  short,  one  might  as  well  attempt  to  describe  a 
great  battle  by  writing  a  history  of  every  soldier  that  was  pre- 
sent at  it,  as  to.  endeavour  to  describe  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la 
Chaise  by  merely  enumerating  the  herd  of  constructions  that 
at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  five  millions  sterling  have  been  erected 
within  it. 

In  peeping  in^o  the  sepulchral  chapels  I  perceived  on  the 
altar  of  one  a  quantity  of  flowers  quite  fresh,  in  water ;  on 
another  were  a  large  cross,  four  tall  candlesticks,  three  little 
images,  and  a  silver-handled  brush  (aspersoir)  for  sprinkling 
holy  water.  "  Ah  que  c'est  gentil  !"*  exclaimed  my  guide, 
whose  face  occupied  the  square  glassless  compartment  in  the 
window  next  to  that  through  which  I  was  looking. 

The  simplest  monument  within  the  cemetery  is  a  stone 
pyramid  about  six  feet  high,  surrounded  by  a  little  neat  box 
border,  dedicated  to 

.     ,  "E.  Volney, 

Pair  de  France."f 

As  I  was  wending  my  way  through  cenotaphs,  obelisks,  and 
temples,  many  of  which  must  have  been  exceedingly  costly,  I 
perceived  about  30  yards  distant  on  my  right  a  very  odd-look- 
ing chapel,  made  entirely  of  zinc,  and  painted  bright  blue.  I  im- 
mediately stopped,  and,  after  looking  at  it  for  some  time,  I 
asked  my  guide,  "Why  is  the  door  open?" 

"  C'est  sa  femme  dedans  :"  and  he  then  added,  "  Quand  il 


*  0,  how  beautiful ! 


I  Peer  of  France. 


460 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


fait  beau,  she"*  (the  widow  of  the  deceased  man  to  whom  this 
monument  had  been  erected)  '■  visits  it  sometimes  for  half  a 
day." 

I  was  so  struck  with  this  unusual  mark  of  fidelity  and  affec- 
tion, that  I  not  only  felt  but  expressed  an  irresistible  desire  to 
witness  it.  My  guide  proposed  to  accompany  me,  but,  as  I 
thought  he  might  possibly  be  rather  too  inquisitive,  I  begged 
him  to  remain  where  he  stood,  and  to  allow  me  hastily  to  walk 
past  the  open  door.  I  accordingly  proceeded  to  do  so,  and  I 
was  wondering  by  what  description  of  feelings  I  should  be  as- 
sailed, and  in  what  attitude  I  should  find  the  widow,  when,  to 
my  utter  astonishment,  I  was  taken  all  aback  by  suddenly 
seeing  close  to  me,  not  in  the  chapel,  but  seated  on  a  chair 
just  before  it,  a  lady  dressed  in  bright  blue  of  exactly  the  tint 
of  the  zinc  chapel. 

"  EUe  aime  beaucoup  le  liku !  "f  said  my  guide  to  me  with  a 
smile  as  soon  as  I  returned  to  him. 

"  She  does,  indeed  !"  was  all  I  could  manage  to  say  in  re- 
ply :  however,  as  my  friend  perceived  I  was  altogether  flabber- 
gasted by  what  I  had  seen,  he  explained  to  me  of  his  own  ac- 
cord that  the  lady's  mind  is  slightly  disordered,  and  that,  when- 
ever she  has  "  un  r^ve,"  or  dream  of  her  husband,  she  writes 
a  letter  to  him,  brings  it,  and  files  it  within  the  blue  tomb,  in 
which  he  said  there  existed  a  great  heap  of  her  correspondence 
with  her  departed  husband. 

After  passing  an  endless  variety  of  tombs  I  came  to  a  spot 
where  a  body  of  workmen  in  blouses  were  employed  in  con- 
structing a  permanent  vault  for  twelve  persons,  to  be  deposited 
in  two  tiers  or  strata  of  six  each,  separated  from  each  other 
by  iron  bars  imbedded  in  the  masonry. 

The  cost  of  a  single  permanent  grave  "emplacement"  of 
one  metre  (3  feet  3  1-3  inches  English)  broad,  and  two  metres 
long,  is  500  francs.  The  sum  of  1000  are,  however,  demanded 
for  the  very  same  space  so  often  as  it  may  be  required  in  ad- 
ditmi  to  the  first  allotment ;  and  as  the  vault  before  me  was  3 
metres  broad  by  two  in  longth,  the  charges  were  to  be  as  fol- 
lows : — 


*  Hifl  wjf<'  18  inside.     When  it  is  fine  weather,  Ac. 
f  "Very  fond  uf  blue! 


:'*  ■ 


PEBE  LA   CHAISE. 


461 


Francs. 
The  cost  of  the  ground  alone  had  amounted  to      2500 
The  cost  of  digging,   and  of  the  masonry  for 

the  12  graves 720 

For  fixing  a  cm*b  stone  around  the  whole        .        160 
For  a  handsome  iron  railing    ....        400 

Total 8770 

about  150i.  sterling. 

To  sand  the  little  paths  of  a  grave,  and  keep 

weeds  out  costs  (per  annum)     .        ,        .  12 

In  addition  to  the  above  to  maintain  a  succes- 
sion of  flowers  (per  annum)     ...  20 

The  city  of  Paris,  foreseeing  that  the  perpetual  graves, 
which  already  amount  in  number  to  102,000,  would  ere  long 
take  exclusive  possession  of  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise, 
have  lately  declined  to  give  perpetual  titles,  in  lieu  of  T^hich 
they  now  grant  leases  for  a  given  period,  subject  to  re  aewal. 
The  result  it  is  expected  will  be,  that  a  considerable  number 
of  families  will  decline — or,  as  it  will  be  fashionably  termed, 
ss'^  forget — to  purchase  the  renewal,  and  these  monuments, 
many  of  which  are  evidently  already  totally  neglected,  will 
then  be  quietly  removed.  And  even  as  regards  those  tLat 
bear  the  inscription  "  Concession  a  Perpetuity,"  if  the  certi- 
ficate, or  "  Lettre  de  Propriete,"*  should  be  lost,  it  is  under- 
stood the  city  will  resume  possession  of  the  ground  for  what  is 
very  properly  termed  "  utilite  publiquc.'v 

After  conversing  for  some  little  time  with  the  workmen  in 
blouses,  who,  beneath  the  surfac'^  of  the  srouv.d,  were  con- 
structing the  twelve  graves  before  ro;  I  asl  ^"  one  of  the 
most  intelligent  whether  the  late  ir  ■Dtical  ev  »'L8  in  France 
had  in  any  way  affected  their  profits.  "  We  gr  'ned,"  replied 
the  man,  leaning  his  trowel  upon  the  graui  he  was  construct- 
ing, and  looking  upwards  full  in  my  face,  a  good  deal  in  1849 
by  the  cholera,  but,  excepting  that,  we  have  not  obtained  in 
the  last  three  years  as  much  as  in  the  time  of  Louis  Philippe 
we  got  in  one  !" 

I  observed  that  I  could  not  comprehend  how  that  could  be, 
for  "  Surely,"  I  added,  "  it  is  Death,  and  not  LoL\is  Philippe 
or  Louis  Napoleon,  who  fills  fDr  you  the  cemetery  ^f  Pdre  la 


*  Title-deed. 


f  The  public  bonefit. 


i 


'If 


liiUJji,! 

if  \. 


t  - 1 


462 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


Chaise  ?"  "  C'est,  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  parce  que  les 
grandes  families  sont  expatriees,  c'est  a  dire  en  leurs  cam- 
pagnes  :"*  in  consequence  of  which,  and  of  the  general  un- 
settled state  of  the  public  mind,  he  explained  at  some  length 
that  everybody  now  had  a  ch«ap  grave.  My  guide,  who  by 
various  little  fidgeting  movements  of  his  face  and  feet  evidently 
disapproved  of  the  time  I  had  been  losing  at  this  grave,  at 
last  prevailed  upon  me  once  again  to  accompany  him.  Instead, 
however,  of  prosecuting  any  path,  ho  wormed  his  way  among 
monuments  closely  huddled  together,  and  yet  his  course  on  the 
whole  was  so  sitraight,  and  his  step  so  quick,  that  I  felt  confi- 
dent he  was  on  a  trail  of  importance,  and,  as  if  I  had  been  fol- 
lowing a  red  Indian,  I  was  wondering  what  description  of 
game  we  were  about  to  overtake,  when  my  friend,  suddenly 
stopping  before  a  small  garden  about  sixteen  feet  long  and  ten 
broad,  surrounded  by  wired  iron  railings  about  five  feet  high, 
and  which,  as  a  solitary  exception  to  all  the  tombs  I  had  beheld, 
contained  neither  monument  nor  inscription  of  any  sort,  said 
to  me  with  great  solemnity,  as,  standing  bolt  upright,  he  point- 
ed his  finger  to  the  little  enclosure  before  us,  "  Monsieur, 
viola  le  corjjs  du  Mar^chal  Ney !  "f 

My  guide  informed  me  that  during  the  reign  of  Louis 
Philippe,  the  relations  and  friends  of  the  Greneral  were  given 
to  understand  that  the  erection  of  what  they  would  consider 
to  be  an  appropriate  monument  to  his  memory  would  not  be 
allowed ;  that  since  the  establishment  of  the  Bepublic  his 
corpse  had  remained  unhononred,  under  the  idea  that  the  na- 
tion would  erect  a  magnificent  monument.  In  the  mean  while, 
within  the  narrow  precincts  of  the  rails,  there  slightly  waved 
above  his  grave  eight  cypresses,  whose  height  rudely  marked 
the  era  of  his  interment.  In  the  middle  is  a  small  circular 
border  of  China  roses,  and  ranged  against  the  rails  are  rows 
of  laurels,  excepting  at  the  entrance  gate,  each  side  of  which 
I  observed  a  lilac-tree  in  blossom.  Close  to  the  border  there 
lay  on  the  ground  one  circular  wreath  of  white  immortelles, 
bearing  in  blue  letters  the  word 

*  It  is,  Sir,  because  our  great  families  ai*e  expatriated,  that  is  to  sajf^ 
are  living  at  their  country  seats. 

f  Sir,  there  is  the  body  of  Marshal  Ney. 


\ 


^ 


'iii. 


FERE  LA   CHAISE. 


46a 


I  had,  for  more  than  an  hour,  been  so  bothered  by  the  Ba- 
bel confusion  of  tongues  of  the  various  monumcr  ts  which,  in 
every  sort  of  attitude,  jostling,  crowding,  and  pushing  against 
each  other,  were  all  at  once  each  extolling  nothing  in  creation 
but  the  corpse  beneath,  that,  as  I  stood  looking  into  the  libtlo 
garden  before  me,  I  must  own  I  felt  it  was  the  most  striking 
monument — the  most  successful  effort — of  the  lot :— in  short, 
that  there  was  more  real  eloquence  in  its  silence  than  in  all  the 
laboured  panegyrics  to  which  my  guide  had  directed  my  at- 
tention, and  which  had  occasionally  made  me  feel  almopt  sea- 
sick to  read.  "  Aliens !"  I  said ;  upon  which  my  attendant 
stretched  out  his  bands  between  the  rails,  picked  a  laurel-leaf, 
and  presented  it  to  me.  On  shaking  my  head,  and  saying 
rather  resolutely,  "  Non !  non  !"  he  chucked  it  somewhat  indig- 
nantly upon  the  grave.  As  I  was  following  him  in  silence,  I 
passed  close  to  a  group  of  four  Frenchmen  who  had  witnessed 
the  trifling  occurrence,  and  who  looked  rather  hard  at  me  as  I 
walked  by  them.  What  they  saw  in  me  I  could  not  know,  nor 
did  I  care,  but,  to  avoid  misconstruction,  I  took  an  early  op- 
portunity of  explaining  to  my  guide,  that  iu  England  every- 
body is  instructed  under  all  circumstances  "  to  keep  his  hands 
from  picking  and  stealing,"  and  that  there  is  no  species  of 
theft  more  disreputable  than  for  a  traveller,  in  return  for  the 
civilities  he  has  received  in  France,  to  pilfer  from  the  grave  of 
an  old  soldier  the  smallest  portion,  however  trifling,  of  the 
honours,  whatever  they  may  be.  that  consecrate  his  tomb. 

My  guide  now  led  me  to.  an<'  for  some  little  distance  down, 
the  great  paved  arterial  road  that,  from  the  lofty  iron  en- 
trance gates,  meanders  \n  its  ascent  to,  and  then  along,  the 
whol?  length  of  the  cemetery,  and,  although  no  visitor  is  al- 
lowed, on  any  pretence  whatever,  to  drive  here,  the  stones 
were  literally,  in  some  places,  wo;*n  into  ruts  by  the  hearses 
and  mourning  carriages  that  had  walked  over  them. 

As  we  proceeded  along  this  broad  avenue,  I  met  several 
ladies  and  merry  children,  fashionably  dressed,  carrying  iu 
their  hands,  gently  swinging  by  their  sides,  circular  wreaths 
of  immortelles  of  different  diameters  and  colours,  which  they 
were  about  to  deposit,  as  touching  marks  of  their  affection,  at 
the  graves  of  their  fathers,  mothers,  or  other  relations  or 
friends ;  after  which  they  usually  rest  themselves,  for  more  or 
less  time,  on  one  of  the  many  seats  which,  for  purposes  of  this 
nature,  are  scattered  ovor  the  cemetery. 


m 


It: 


464 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FEENOH  STICKS. 


\ 


It 


■  In  a  few  minutes  we  came  to  the  "  Bond  Point/'  Where 
the  paved  road  forms  a  sort  of  circle  of  obeisance  round  a 
beautiful  statue,  resiting  on  a  very  lofty  pedestal,  erected  in 
1 832,  by  public  subscription,  in  honour  of  Casimir  P6rier,  late 
Prime  Minister  of  Franco,  and,  after  visiting  several  other 
monuments  of  less  importance,  my  guide  led  me  downwards  to 
a  most  beautiful  four-fronted  chapel,  supported  by  fourteen 
columns,  not  only  erected  to  the  memory  of  Heloisa  and  Abe- 
lard — statues  of  whom,  admirably  sculptured,  are  within — but 
constructed  from  the  ruins  of  the  celebrated  abbey  of  the  Pa- 
raclete, founded  by  the  latter,  and  of  which  the  former  was 
the  Urst  abbess,  and  as  we  were  now  within  a  ^ihort  distance  of 
the  great  entrance  gate,  and  as  it  was  about  ^ue  hour  at  which 
strangers  usually  arrive,  I  took  out  my  watch,  fulfilled  my 
agreeiuent  with  my  guide,  and,  moreover,  heaping  up  the 
measure  to  his  heart's  content,  he  left  me  among  the  dead,  to 
endeavour  to  hook,  if  possible,  another  "  Anglais,"  which,  in 
I. lie  ocean  of  this  world,  are  everywhere  looked  upon  by  guides 
of  all  sorts  as  the  best  fish  that  swim. 

Close  beside  me  stood  a  very  tall  wall — ^without  metaphor, 
stone  dea(^ — which  I  felt  exceedingly  anxious  to  surmount; 
its  height,  however,  was  so  forbidding  that,  after  walking  close 
along  it  for  some  distance,  I  was  about  to  leave  it  in  despair, 
when  I  observed  some  polos  which  had  been  brought  into  the 
cemetery  for  the  repair  of  a  monument,  by  means  of  which  I 
managed,  without  difficulty,  to  reach  and  sit  upon  the  thin 
mural  barrier  that  divides  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise 
from  a  very  tiny  reotangulai'  piece  of  ground,  entitled  tho 
burial-place  of  tho  Jews,  which,  at  a  single  glance,  I  perceived 
to  be  very  creditably  kept,  and  to  contain  several  very  neat 
and  handsome  monuments.  In  point  of  dimensions,  however, 
it  did  not  bear  the  proportion  to  the  great  Christian  cemetery 
that  the  palm  of  my  Imnd  did  to  my  whole  body,  and  as  I  sat 
looking  from  the  gveat  cowietery  to  the  little  one,  and  vice 
versd^  I  could  not  ho.lp  feeling  what  r-  striking  corroboration 
was  before  me  of  thai.  Uiysterious  dispensation  of  the  Almighty 
which,  in  all  ages  and  in  all  countries,  has  not  only  stamped 
the  intellectual  countenance  of  the  Jew  by  distinguishing 
lines,  often  of  great  beauty,  which  every  man  can  read  as  ho 
runs,  but  which  has  maintained  the  race  as  distinct  and  sepa- 
rate from  the  rest  of  the  human  species  as  the  dark-coloured 


'1'       PERE  LA  CHAISE. 


\    \. 


465 


little  Btf earn  from  Ohippewa,  which,  without  the  slightest  ad- 
mixture with  the  mass  of  clear  green  water  from  Lakes  Supe- 
rior, Huron,  and  Erie,  is  eternally  rolling  with  it,  side  by  side, 
over  the  Falls  of  Niagara.  And  yet,  from  the  very  showing 
of  the  case,  it  has  been  argued  that  the  distinction  which 
Christians  call  by  the  fine-sounding  name  of  a  "  dispensation 
of  the  Almighty "  is  in  fact  nothing  but  that  unclean  human 
spirit  which,  in  almost  every  portion  of  the  globe,  has  induced 
the  larger  body  to  persecute  and  oppress  the  little  one.  But 
the  cemeteries  on  each  side  of  me  unanswerably  confuted  this 
human  doctrine,  for,  instead  of  the  large  sect  having  rejected 
an  alliance  with  the  little  one,  it  is  the  little  sect  that  has  re- 
fused, and  still  refuses,  to  join  in  any  description  of  partner- 
ship with  the  large  one.  In  the  gri?at  Christian  cemetery  a 
corpse  of  any  politics,  of  any  country,  of  any  religion,  or  of  no 
religion  at  all,  is  freely  allowed  to  be  buried  in  the  "  fosse 
commune,"  in  the  "  fosse  temporaire,"  or  in  a  "  concession  a 
perp6tuit6,"  with  any  ceremony,  or  with  no  ceremony,  just  as 
his  executors  or  his  relations  may  desire.  Priests  of  any 
church  may  preach  over  him,  choristers  of  any  creed  may 
chant  over  him,  relations  may  howl  over  him,  or,  without  a 
single  follower,  he  may,  if  he  has  so  wished  it,  be  buried  with 
no  more  pomp,  ceremony,  exclamation,  or  feeling,  than  if  ho 
were  the  roughest  description  of  cur. 

But  although  the  iron  gates  of  the  big  Christian  cemetery 
are,  most  good-humouredly,  always  wide  open  for  the  admis- 
sion of  the  Jews,  the  narrow  door  of  the  little  Jewish  ceme- 
tery scorns  to  admit  a  Christian  corpse.  Its  opposition  is  an 
honest  one  ;  it  denies  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  yet, 
said  the  Prime  Minister  of  Queen  Victoria  in  his  able  speeCh 
on  the  third  reading  of  the  Oath  of  Abjuration  (Jew)  Bill — 

"  So  loug  as  Jews  are  prevented  from  sitting  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, whenevci'  there  comes  a  popular  election  a  premium  is  actually 
given  to  the  Jew  as  against  the  Christian  in  that  election  (hear),  because, 
while  the  Christian  stands  on  his  own  merits,  the  Jew  would  say — *Iu 
me  you  behold  a  persecuted  man  I  and  if  you  value  the  principle  of  Re- 
ligious Liberty,  you  will  send  me  to  the  House  of  Commons !'  " 


On  the  subject  of  the  admission  of  Jews  into  the  British 
House  of  Commons  I  have  hitherto  abstained  from  expressing 


even  in  private   any  opinion  whatever ; 

'20* 


as, 


however,  I  sat 


toSfl^rJJ 


466 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FMENCH  STICKS. 


\ 


aata'ide  on  the  wall  separating  the  two  cemeteries,  the  skele- 
ton facts  of  the  case  flitted  before  my  mind  in  the  following 
order. 

For  nearly  a  thousand  years  the  British  people,  under 
Christian  sovereigns,  have  been  governed  by  a  suooession  of 
Parliaments  exclusively  Christian,  and  accordingly, — 

1st.  The  proceedings  of  the  House  of  Commons  have  been, 
and  still  are,  daily  opened  by  Christian  prayers  offered  up  by 
the  Speaker's  Chaplain. 

2nd.  In  the  House  of  Lords  the  practice  has  been,  and  is, 
similar,  except  that  the  junior  of  the  bench  of  Christian  Bishops 
is  ex-offioio  the  Chaplain  who  reads  the  prayers. 

3rd.  The  Christian  character  of  the  Sovereign  may  be  de- 
lineated as  follows : — 

On  Thursday  the  28th  of  June,  1838,  in  the  Abbey  Church 
of  St.  Peter,  Westminster,  the  Sovereign  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  by  the  Grace  of  God  Defender  of  the  Faith  (vide  the 
printed  Form  and  Order  of  the  Service  and  Ceremonies  ob- 
served in  the  Coronation  of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria), 
supported  by  the  two  Bishops  of  Durham  and  Bath  and  Wells ; 
attended  by  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  the  Lord  Chancellor, 
Lord  Great  Chamberlain,  Lord  High  Constable  and  Earl 
Marshal,  the  Lords  who  carry  the  Eegalia,  &c.  &c.,  and  in 
presence  of  the  people  assembled  within  the  church,  replied  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  as  follows  : — 


'     Archbishop. — Madam,  is  Your  Majesty  willing  to  take  the  Oath?" 

Queen. — 1  am  willing. 

Archbishop. — Will  You  to  the  utmost  of  Your  Power  maintain  the  Laws 
of«God,  the  true  Profession  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Reformed  Protestant  Re- 
ligion established  by  law  ?  And  will  you  maintain  and  preserve  inviolably 
the  Settlement  of  tne  United  Church  of  England  and  Ireland,  and  the  Doc- 
trine, Worship,  Discipline,  and  Government  thereof,  as  by  law  established, 
within  England  and  Ireland  and  the  Territories  thereunto  belonging  ?  And 
will  You  preserve  unto  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of  England  and  Ireland, 
and  to  the  Churches  there  committed  to  their  Charge,  all  such  Rights  and 
Privileges  as  by  Law  do  or  shall  appertain  to  Them,  or  any  of  Them  ? 

Queen. — All  this  I  promise  to  do. 

Then  the  Qtceen  arising  out  of  Her  Chair,  attended  by  Her  Supporters, 
and  assisted  by  the  Lord  Great  Chamberlain,  the  Sword  of  State  being  car' 
ried  before  Her,  went  to  the  Altar,  and  there  made  Her  Solemn  Oath  in  the 
sight  of  all  the  People  to  observe  the  Premises :  Laying  Her  right  hand 
upon  the  Holy  Gospel  in  the  Great  Bible  which  had  been  carried  in  the 


•^     ^ 


FEES  LA   CHAISE. 


467 


ProeevA«tit  atidtMnnow  brought  from,  tht  Altar  by  tht  Arehbiahop,  wd 
tendered  to  Her  at  She  knelt  upon  the  Steps,  the  said  these  vords^— 

Tixe  things  -which  I  have  here  before  promiaed,  I  will  perform  and 
keep^  ', 

So  help  me  God. 

Then,  the  Queen  kissed  the  Book  and  signed  the  Oath.  ^ 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  Statute  of  thd  12  and  13 
William  III.,  confirming  the  limitation  of  the  Suocesaion  of 
the  Crown  "  from  time  to  time  to  such  person  or  persons  be- 
ing Protestants,"  the  oath  taken  by  every  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  "  On  the  ti'ue  faith  of  a  Christian,"  the 
daily  prayer  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  the  Corona- 
tion Oath  required  from  the  Sovereign,  are  not  only  in  accord- 
ance with,  but  in  obedience  to,  the  Will  of  the  British  people, 
whose  aggregate  attachment  to  the  Christian  Religion,  and 
whose  attention — in  such  degree  only  as  each  thinks  proper— 
to  Christian  worship,  need  not  be  described. 

Now,  the  whole  of  this  system  of  Christian  deference  to 
Almighty  God,  by  which  the  British  Empire  has  hitherto 
been  cemented,  from  the  oath  required  from  the  Sovereign, 
down  to  that  taken  by  every  Member  of  the  House  of  Com 
mons,  is  very  properly  abhorred  by  the  Jews,  simply  because 
they  believe  the  Redeemer  of  the  Christians  to  have  been  an 
impostor;  and  firmly  impressed  with  tliis  opinion,  which, 
whenever  necessary,  they  have,  as  in  duty  bound,  been  ready 
to  seal  with  their  blood,  they  dpcline  to  be  buried  in  the  same 
ground  with  Christians, — to  unite  themselves  in  marriage  with 
a  Christian  ;  indeed  tboir  great  charities, — such,  for  instance, 
as  "  The  Jews'  Fkee  School  in  Bell  Lane,  Spitalfields,  Lon- 
don," containing  650  boys  and  350  girls,  total  1000, — 
have  been  so  exclusive,  that  to  the  simple  blessings  of  educa- 
tion no  Christian  child  is  admitted.  Firm  in  attachment  to 
their  own  religion,  and  in  contempt  of  that  which  they  espe- 
cially abhor,  in  many  countries  they  consider  the  mere  touch 
of  a  Christian  to  be  pollution ;  and  accordingly,  I  myself 
have  seen  a  Jew,  with  a  withering  look,  as  if  I  had  poured  a 
cup  of  poison  into  it,  throw  away  a  large  tub  of  water  from 
which,  out  of  my  hand,  I  had  without  the  slightest  intention  of 
offence,  drunk  a  few  drops. 

Now,  how  have  th6  British  people  resented  this  conscien- 
tious, firm,  unflinching,  uncompromising  bigotry?      Why, 


463 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


-with  that  high-minded  generosity  that  oharaterizes  them,  they 
not  only  allow  Jews  to  eat  from  the  same  sources,  ^Irink  from 
the  same  fountains,  and,  unmolested,  live  in  whatevf  ?•  locali- 
ties they  like,  but,  I  am  proud  to  add,  they  have  extended  to 
their  persons  and  to  their  property  the  same  legal  protcotion 
which  tVe  Christian  Parliament  have  enacted  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Christian  people.  Nay,  every  Jew  throughout  the 
British  dominions  has  been  made  capable  of  acting  as  a  ma< 
gistrate,  of  filling  any  municipal  office,  of  sitting  in  judgment 
upon  Christians  on  matters  of  lifje  and  death.  And  yet,  al- 
though on  the  liberty,  and  on  property  of  every  kind,  belong- 
ing to  Christians,  they  have  the  power  to  adjudicate,  from 
blind  zoal  and  immovable  prejudices,  as  a  body,  they  obdu- 
rately refuse,  even  as  corpses,  to  associate  with  the  Christian 
community. 

As  however,  the  noblest  object  in  exposing  error  is  to 
avoid  it,  it  is  evident  that,  the  more  intolerant  Jews  are  to 
Christians,  the  more  should  the  latter  be  disposed  to  forgive 
and  forget  antagonist  opinions,  which,  after  all,  proceed  from 
consciencious  disbelief,  asd  it  has  therefore  liberally,  and  I 
think  very  properly,  been  decreed  that,  utterly  irrespective 
of  the  conduct  of  Jews  to  v/ards  Christians,  every  possible  in- 
dulge xZQ  shouM  be  granted  to  them,  and  every  possible  re- 
striction upon  them  removed. 

^  To  remove,  however,  the  only  restriction  that  remains,  by 
raising  them  to  be  legislators  for  Christians,  is  surely,  almost 
from  the  mere  showing  of  the  case,  not  only  impolitic,  but  it 
is  asking  Jews  to  do  what  morally  and  religiously  it  is  out  of 
their  power  to  perform. 

In  fact,  it  is  placing  them  on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma ;  for 
if  in  the  enactment  of  Laws  for  the  government  of  a  Chris- 
tian people  they  were  to  endeavour  to  promote  that  mild  re- 
ligion which  in  domestic  life  regubtes,moreor  less,  the  great 
mass  of  the  community,  they  would  be  faithless  to  their  own 
dreed  ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  if,  faithful  to  their  creed,  by 
every  means  in  their  power  they  should  endeavour,  directly 
as  well  as  indirectly,  to  eradicate  a  religion  they  conscien- 
tiously believe  to  be  erroneous,  they  would  be  faithless  to  the* 
people  for  whom  they  are  required  to  legislate.  In  short,  it 
is  evident,  even  grammatically  speaking,  that  a  Jew  in  a 
Christian  Parliament  is  a  confusion  of  terms,  which  can  onljf 


PEBE  LA  CHAISE. 


K 


46d 


I  ! 


be  reconciled  by  the  expulsion  of  the  Jew,  or  by  the  oblitera- 
tion of  the  term  "  Christian  ;"  for  what  is  Jewish  cannot  be 
Christian,  nor  can  what  is  Christian  be  Jewish, 

But  it  has  been  plausibly  enough  argued,  that  of  two  evils 
a  mere  breach  of  grammar  is  of  less  importance  than  the 
"  illiberality  "  of  excluding  a  Jew  from  the  House  of  Com- 
mons ;  which,  it  is  added,  if  conceded,  would  "  settle  the  ques- 
tion^" and  thus  create  throughout  the  empire  harmony,  hap- 
piness, and  content. 

Now,  on  reflection,  it  will,  I  bolieve,  be  evident  to  every 
one  that  that  this  argument  wit^  -esistible  force  recoila 
upon  the  proposal ;  for  on  the  ver^  o trine,  that  of  two  evils 
a  sensible  man  should  choose  the  least,  a  Jew  ought  to  be 
excluded  from  our  Christian  Parliament,  because  his  admis- 
sion would  create  several  embarrassments,  each  greater  than 
the  solitary  one  it  is  liberally  intended  to  allay. 

For  instance,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  where  all  men 
are  "  Peers  " — that  is  to  say,  sit  together  on  terms  of  perfect 
equality, — it  would  evidently  be  unjust  to  maintain  for  the 
majority  a  form  of  devotion  in  which  the  minority  could  not, 
owing  to  the  religion  they  profess,  join.  It  would  therefore 
be  necessary,  either  to  persist  in  the  injustice,  or  for  the 
House  to  alter  its  form  of  prayer  to  a  joint  superstitious  sup- 
plication— ayi/uKTro)  0€<3 — ^"  To  the  unknown  God,"  which  St. 
Paul  so  truly  declared  at  Athens  to  be  "  ignorant  worship." 

Again,  would  it  be  just  for  the  Christian  party  to  possess 
the  power  of  forcing  their  "  Peer"  to  abandon  either  his 
conscience  or  a  bill  in  which  he  was  deeply  interested,  by 
bringing  it  up  for  discussion  on  a  Saturday ;  and  would  it  be 
just  on  that  day  to  force  him  to  attend  on  a  Committee  1 
On  the  other  hand,. would  it  be  just  to  force  him  to  rest  from 
his  political  labours  on  Sunday,  on  Good  Friday,  and  on 
Christmas-day  ?  Says  the  Christian,  Man's  Sabbath  is  on 
Sunday.  Says  the  Jew,  it  is  no  such  thing,  it  is  on  Satur- 
day. The  House,  therefore,  must  either  openly  violate  the 
religious  freedom  it  has  vainly  attempted  to  establish,  by 
forcing  the  Sabbath  of  the  majority  on  the  minority,  and,  for 
the  convenience  of  the  majority,  by  depriving  the  minority 
of  their  day  of  holy  rest,  or  compromise  the  dispute  by  ami- 
cably (liberally)  agreeing  together  that  there  shall  be  no 
Sabbath  at  all.  t  .,.  r  , .         - 

Again,  would  it  be  just  to  allow  the  Bishops  of  one  faith 


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470 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENQB  STICKS. 


to  form  part  of  a  Legislature  from  which  the  Bahbis  of  the 
other  faith  are  excluded  %  OertainW  not.  It  would,  there- 
fore, be  necessary,  either  that  the  Christian  Bishops  should 
be  deprived  pf  their  seats  in  the  House  of  Lords,  or  that  the 
Jewish  Rabbis  should,  ex  officio,  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
neutralisation,  be  invested  with  the  privilege  of  sitting  beside 
them. 

Again,  the  instant  the  British  Parliament  is  made  Jewish, 
as  well  as  Christian,  the  siiyle  and  title  of  the  Sovereign  must 
be  altered ;  for  if,  in  mockery  of  the  Jews,  it  continue  to  be 
"  By  the  Grace  of  God  Defender  of  the  Faith,"  it  will  justly 
be  asked,  of  what  faith  ?  And  unless  the  answer  be,  '>  Of  the 
Jewish-Christian  faith  1"  it  is  evident  diat  the  Sovereign  will 
be  the  Defender  of  the  wrong  faith  or,  in  other  words,  will 
be  of  only  one  Beligion,  while  the  House  of  Commons  will  be 

of  TWO. 

Lastly,  it  has  hitherto  been  the  happy  characteristic  of  the 
British  Kingdom  that  its  Parliament  and  its  People  have  been, 
as  it  were,  the  reflection  of  each  other,  and  accordingly  the 
religious  sentiments  of  the  one  have  not  only  been  protected 
but  fostered  bv  the  other.  If,  therefore,  for  the  sake  of  a  few 
Jews  who  faithfully  avow  themselves  to  belong  to  a  kingdom 
limited  to  the  seed  of  Abraham,  Parliament  abjures  its  religion, 
that  of  the  people  will  sympathetically  wither ;  In  fact,  a  Par- 
liament without  a  religion  legislating  for  a  Christian  people  is 
an  anomaly  that  can  only  be  got  rid  of,  either  by  the  Legisla- 
ture, like  the  prodigal  son,  returning  to  its  creed,  or  by  the 
people,  for  whom  they  are  legislating,  for  the  sake  of  political 
unanimity,  abandoning  theirs. 

Without  enumerating  many  other  embarrassments  that 
might  be  detailed,  the  above  are,  it  is  submitted,  su£Gicient  to 
demonstrate,  that,  even  on  the  dangerous  theory^  that  of  a  choice 
of  evils  the  least  is  to  be  selected,  the  proposed  alteration 
should  be  rejected. 

But  having  shown  what  the  great  Christian  community 
would  /b^e,  let  us  for  a  moment  endeavour  to  calculate  what  the 
tiny  Jewish  sect  residing  "  pro  tem."  among  us  might  Ibe  sup- 
posed to  gain  by  a  measure  which  the  most  devout  of  the  He- 
brew nation  honestly  declare  to  be  inconsistent  with  their 
religious  expectations. 

In  the  speeches  in  favour  of  the  Abrogation  Bill,  it  has 
been  truly  stated  that  a  Jew  is  as  deeply  interested  in  every 


\i 


PERU  LA  CHAISE. 


47t 


law  enacted  by  Parliament  for  liihe  protection  of  life  and  pro* 
pertj  as  any  Christian  member  oif  tne  community ;  but,  anom- 
alous as  it  may  sound,  for  that  very  reason  he  ought  to  e/enVtf 
to  remain  excluded  from  the  British  Parliament ;  for  does  there 
exist  in  the  United  Kingdom  a  liberal  man  of  sound  Judgment 
who  is  not  inwardly  convinced  that  religious  principles  are  the 
strongest  incentives  to  induce  a  populous  nation  not  only  to  do 
what  is  right,  but  to  abstain  from  doing  what  is  wrong?  The 
lives  of  British  people  (Jews  included)  are  protected  by  laws, 
,  the  just  execution  of  which  depends  upon  evidence  on  oaZh^ 
jurors  on  oath,^  judges  sworn  to  administer  impartial  justice. 
British  property  is  similarly  protected.  In  fact,  the  credit  of 
the  country  is  based  upon  those  unalterable  principles  and 
commandments  which  the  Christian  religion  fosters  and  enfor- 
ces ;  and  yet,  so  sensitive  are  moneyed  mon'of  any  difficulty 
which  in  the  slightest  degree  threatens  to  impair  this  credit 
of  the  country,  that  very  trifling  events  cause  their  barometer, 
the  funds,  to  rise  or  fall;  and  if  it  be  true  that,  for  instance, 
the  sudden  death  of  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  would  cause  the 
whole  of  the  funded  property  of  England  to  sink  in  value, 
what  might  be  its  depreciation  in  the  market  of  the  world 
when  it  was  announced  that  the  British  Parliament,  -whose 
word  had  hitherto  been  its  bond,  had — ^by  abjuring  its  reli 
gion — deliberately  cut  away  the  mainstay  of  British  credit  % 
Let  the  Rothschilds,  Goldsmids,  and  other  members  of  the 
Jewish  persuasion,  who  live  in  England  deservedly  respected 
by  us,  reflect,  and  then  answer  whether  the  trifling  honour  of 
sitting  in  the  House  of  Commons  (where,  as  an  argument 
in  favour  of  their  admission,  it  is  always  stated  they  would 
form  so  miserable  a  minority  that  in  matters  of  religion, 
handcuffed  and  harmless,  they  could  have  no  influence) 
would   atone,  even  to    them,  for  the   depreciation   of  their 

ftroperty  and  for  the  insecurity  of  their  lives  under  laws  and 
aw-makers  that  by  the  proposed  new-fangled  system  are  to 
recognise  no  religion  at  all. 

When  a  young  colony,  like  a  bird  flying  from  its  nest^ 
separates  itself  from  its  mother  country,  it  has  been  usual  for 
it  to  proclaim  to  the  world  the  list  of  "  grievances"  which  have 
induced  it  to  do  -so.  Now,  as  regards  that  allegiance  to 
Almighty  God  which  it  is  proposed  Parliament  shall  publicly 
repudiate,  let  us  for  a  moment  consider  what  are  the  prominent 
£&ots  of  the  case. 


4Wl«.       7|^.m;i*«^   9«»     J^-:i9   \iF2J 


47{i 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENGH  STICKS. 


1st.  It  is  an  historical  faot  that,  in  prosperity,  as  well » Mn 
adversity,  the  Parliament,  fleets,  armies,  and  people  of  the 
United  Kinffdom^  haye,  for  many  centuries,  been  in  the  habit 
of  periodically  joining  together,  as  a  Christian  family,  in  o£fer- 
ing  up  to  the  Omnipotent  Author  of  the  religion  they  haye 
been  taught  to  yenerate,  thanksgiving  for  every  signal  act  of 
protection,  and  prayers  for  the  aversion  of  every  great  cala- 
mity. 

2nd.  It  is  a  political  fact  that,  co-existent  with  this  habit, 
the  British  people  have  gradually  prospered  to  a  degree  utterly 
impracticable  to  detail.  Upon  their  empire  the  sun  never  sets. 
Upon  their  wealth  it  unceasingly  shines.  Upon  their  integrity 
the  civilized  world  relies.  In  short,  while  the  nations  of  Eu- 
rope have  all  more  or  less  suffered  from  the  storm  that  has 
lately  assailed  them,  British  liberty  and  happiness  excite  not 
only  the  admiration  but  the  envy  of  mankind. 

It  might  reasonably  be  expected  that  a  people  of  such  cool 
judgment  as  the  English  would,  from  the  above  two  facts  which 
for  ages  have  been  in  juxta-position,  perceive  that  the  Divine 
protection  the  nation  has  religiously  invoked  has  been  reward- 
ed by  the  blessings  it  enjoys ;  and  accordingly,  from  the  man- 
ner in  which  throughout  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland  the 
Sabbath  is  observed, — ^&om  the  general  habit  of  private  devo- 
tion,— from  the  short  prayers  which  in  every  well-regulated 
man-of-war  are  read  previous  to  going  into  action, — ^and  from 
the  marked  public  devotion  of  our  most  illustrious  military 
and  naval  Commanders  to  the  ordinances  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, it  is  evident  the  devout  principles  of  the  community 
remain  unaltered.  And  yet,  although  no  one  among  us  has 
ever  offered  a  contrary  opinion,  although  the  power  and  good- 
ness of  the  Almighty  are  patent  to  us  all,  yet  for  the  attain- 
ment of  an  object,  comparatively  speaking,  of  no  value  what- 
ever, it  has  been  virtually  proposed  in  the  "  Oath  of  Abjura- 
tion (Jew)  Bill,"  that  on  a  certain  day  the  Sovereign  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  surrounded  by  her  brilliant  court,  shall, 
after  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  acclamation  of  the  multitude,  the 
flourish  of  trumpets,  and  the  obeisance  of  Peers  and  Peeresses 
have  subsided,  formally  issue  from  her  throne  to  mankind 
in  general,  and  to  the  Parliament  and  people  of  the  British 
Empire  in  particular,  a  declaration  of  independence,  severing 
for  evermore  that  Christian  connection  which  has  hitherto  ex- 
isted between  the  people  she  governs  and  the  Almighty  Power 


PEBE  LA  CHAISE. 


4kft 


UnAet  whom  they  live !  in  fact,  the  Bill  virtually  proposes  that, 
in  violation  of  Her  Coronation  Oath,  Her  Majesty,  Defender 
of  the  Faith,  shall,  by  assenting  to  the  same,  erase  forever  from 
the  venerable  brow  of  the  Imperial  Parliament  the  word 
"  Christian  ;"  and  thus,  while  every  subject  of  the  Crown  will 
be  allowed  unmolested  to  continue  to  follow  the  revered  reli- 
gion of  his  ancestors, "  Religious  Liberty  "  will  in  future  bd  the 
new  and  only  Deity  acknowledged  by  the  Parliament  of  Great 
Britain.  In  short,  while  allegiance  to  an  earthly  Sovereign  is 
very  properly  considered  by  the  Imperial  Parliament  to  be  in 
no  way  incompatible  with  civil  Liberty — indeed  that  the  Mon- 
archy  under  which  we  live  is  the  Basis  of  our  Freedom — ^it  is 
proposed  that  the  very  same  Parliament,  in  the  very  same 
breath,  shall,  by  a  joint  and  public  abjuration  of  its  faith, 
declare  that  its  time-honoured  allegiance  to  the  Almighty  Buler 
of  the  universe  has  become  incompatible  with  the  enjoyment  of 
Religious  Liberty !  To  live  under  a  network  of  myriads  of  laws 
which  the  Imperial  Parliament  has  spun  and  is  ever  spinning, , 
is  not  considered  incompatible  with  Civil  Liberty ;  and  yet  the  i 
endurance  of  the  single  religious  link  which  connects  us  with 
futurity,  is  before  God  and  man  to  be  declared  an  ignominious 
embarrassment  incompatible  with  the  enjoyment  of  Religious 
Liberty  ! 

What  punishments  may  be  inflicted  upon  us  in  every' 
quarter  of  the  globe  for  this  awful  act — ^nothing  more  nor  , 
less  than  Cobbett's  "  application  of  the  sponge  "  to  the  Chris- 
tian character  of  the  British  Empire — it  is  altogether  beyond 
the  power  of  the  human  mind  to  imagine.     Before,  however, 
it  be  committed,  let  every  member  of  the  community  who 
believes  in  a  future  state  of  existence  ;  who  acknowledges  the  . 
protection  and  distinctions  it  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to 
bestow  upon  the  British  People  and  upon  the  British  Name ; 
who  reflects  upon  the  climates,  the  hurricanes,  the  plagues, 
wars,  pestilences,  and  famine  to  which  in  distant  regions  of 
the  Globe  we  are  more  or  less  exposed ;  and  lastly,  who  con- 
siders our  utterly  defenceless  condition,  ask  himself  this  plain 
question.     Leaving  ingratitude  out  of  the  question,  is  it  wise  < 
or  safe  to  jeopardize  the  lives  and  property,  the  happiness  and 
future  state  of  the  present  generation,  as  well  as  of  countless 
inhabitants  of  unborn  ages,  by  exchanging  a  system  that  has 
practically  answered,  for  one  which  will  not  only  bring  upon: 


! 


i 


.0  nJJiiftT/  - 


£  i>^.. 


dm  iii  ms>a  ^i>oai«'«r 


474 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FSFNOH  STICKS. 


US,  afl  renegades,  the  soom  of  every  honest  nation  under  the 
sun,  but  whioh,  after  all,  will  fail  even  to  benefit  that  small 
sect  who  honestly  tell  us  that,  far  from  desiring  Gentile  pri- 
vileges, they  are  only  remaining  with  us  until  the  arrival  of 
their  own  Messiah ;  their  faithful  attachment  to  whom  forma 
a.  striking  contrast,  a  bitter  sarcasm  on  the  proposed  public 
abandonment  by  a  great  Christian  nation  of  their  Bedebmeb  % 
Lastly,  let  the  High  Court  of  Parliament,  which  for  so 
many  centuries  has  been  invested  with  Majesty,  Bank,  Pri- 
vileges, and  Power,  for  the  advancement  of  the  Glory  of  God, 
the  Good  of  His  Church,  the  safety,  honour,  and  welfare  of 
our  Sovereign  and  Her  dominions,  before  it  suicidally  destroys 
its  own  authority, — before  it  betrays  what  it  has  solemnly 
sworn  to  defend, — ^before  it  brings  darkness  upon  a  happy 
land  by  disreputably  selling,  for  the  attainment  of  an  object, 
comparatively  speaking,  of  no  importance  whatever,  the  in- 
estimable blessings  which  a  just,  a  moral,  and  a  religious  peo- 
ple are  enjoying, — ^recall  to  mind,  ere  it  be  too  late,  the  fol- 
lowing words,  which  prophetically  bear  upon  its  case  :-~ 

"Then  Judaa,  whioh  had  betrayed  him  [Jeeras],  when  he  saw  that  h* 
was  condemned,  repented  himself;  and  brought  again  the  thirty  pieces 
of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders^  saving,  I  nave  sinned,  in  that  I 
have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood.  And  they  said,  What  is  that  to  ust 
see  thou  to  that  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  temple^ 
and  departed,  and  went  and  hanged  himself." 


On  descending  from  the  wall  on  which  for  some  minutes 
I  had  been  resting,  I  regained  the  large  paved  avenue,  and 
had  arrived  nearly  at  the  gate,  when  I  saw  at  a  short  distance 
on  my  right,  a  poor  person's  funeral  procession,  proceeding 
towards  the  "  fosse  commune,"  and,  although  the  sun  was  very 
powerful,  and  my  eyes  half  roasted,  I  could  not  help  follow' 
ii^  it. 

In  front  of  the  heaiso,  which,  as  before,  was  driven  by  a 
coachman  in  a  cocked  hat,  there  stalked,  also  in  a  cocked  hat, 
a  man  dressed  in  the  superfine  black  cloth  coat  already  des- 
cribed, holding  in  his  hand,  like  a  drum-major,  a  long  black' 
cane,  headed  with  a  white  ivory  knob.  Behind  the  hearse 
followed  two  men  in  black,  one  of  whom,  looking  on  the 
ground  as  he  walked,  held  in  his  right  hand  a  oiroalar  wreath  of 


PEBE  LA   CHRISS. 


479 


yellow  immortelles.  On  arriving  at  the  common  fosse  the 
procession  halted,  and,  on  the  ^or  person's  coffin  being  taken 
out,  it  was  received  by  an  officer,  dressed  in  light  blue  uni> 
form,  a  cocked  hat  with  silver  cockade,  a  silver  breast-plate,  a 
sword-belt  bound  with  silver,  and  a  brass-handled  sword.  In 
the  way  I  have  already  described,  the  semi-hezagonal  topped 
coffin  was  lowered  into  the  deep  chasm  beneath,  where  it  was 
received,  and  slowly  arranged  and  adjusted  by  the  grave-dig- 
ger,  in  the  mode  previously  stated.  A  simple  ceremony  of 
this  nature,  however  often  it  may  be  witnessed,  naturally 
creates  serious  reflections,  and  I  was,  to  a  certain  degree, 
under  their  influence,  when  all  of  a  sudden  I  heard  a  voice 
close  to,  in  a  loud  and  impassioned  tone,  exclaim  ''  Adieu  ma 
m^e  !"*  I  instantly  glanced  round,  and  saw  the  chief  mourner 
standing  on  the  brink  of  the  long  ditch  beneath  him,  with  his 
face  directed  towards  the  ground,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
coffin,  with  his  hat  in  his  left  hand,  and  in  his  extended  right 
arm  the  yellow  wreath  I  had  just  before  observed  him  carry- 
ing. For  about  six  seconds  he  stood  in  the  attitude  describ- 
ed, and,  as  if  choked  by  his  feelings,  did  not  utter  a  word  ;  at 
last,  in  the  same  loud,  fervent  tone  of  voice,  proceeding  with 
his  address,  he  enumerated  to  the  corpse  beneath  him  the 
many  marks  of  a£feotion  she  had  shown  him,  and  concluding 
with  the  words  "  Acceptez  mon  dernier  devoir  /"f  he  gently 
tossed  before  him  the  yellow  wreath,  which,  feathering' 
through  the  air,  had  no  sooner  fallen,  with  a  slight  noise  on 
the^  lid  of  the  coffin  beneath,  than  he  suddenly  turned  on  his 
heel,  and  walked  slowly  off.  On  joining  the  young  man  in 
black  who  had  accompanied  him  in  rear  of  the  hearse  they 
talked  together  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then,  arm  in  arm, 
quietly  walked  home. 

The  hearse  had  long  ago  been  gone, — ^the  officers  in  light 
blue  were  gone, — the  ordonnateur  and  his  men  were  gone,-^ ' 
and  I  therefore  found  myself  on  the  edge  of  the  "  fosse  com- 
mune," with,  excepting  my  guide,  no  other  living  being  but 
the  man  with  the  sunburnt  arms,  white  shirt,  blue  trousers,  and 
red  sash  beneath  me. 

In  the  earth  of  the  perpendicular  bank  behind  him  was 
affixed  a  long  iron  skewer,  upon  which  were  hanging  a  hand- 


^\ 


*  Adieu  my  mother!  f  Accept  my  last  duty! 


^4. 


1*1 


I 


476 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


ful  of  pieces  of  common  packthread,  each  about  two  feet  long. 
Turning  roT  nd  and  selecting  one  of  them,  he  with  it  tied  the 
name  of  tae  corpse  he  had  just  adjusted,  and  the  yellow 
wreath  that  belonged  to  it,  to  the  black  cross  which  had  been 
lowered  down  with  the  coffin,  and  he  then  stuck  the  black 
gross  into  the  ground  at  its  head. 

For  some  moments  I  stood  looking  at  the  extraordinary 
scene  in  all  directions  around  me.  On  my  right  the  ^ound 
appropriated  for  the  common  graves  was  seen  working  its 
way  upwards,  towards  the  green  limits  of  those,  who,  in  tem- 
porary graves,  were  lying  on  lease  for  six  years.  In  front 
there  existed,  over  a  surface  of  10  or  12  acres  of  common 
graves,  a  scene  of  confusion  it  appeared  almost  hupossible  for 
the  eye  to  analyse — ^indeed  it  was  not  until  I  had  steadily 
looked  at  it  for  some  minutes,  that  I  perceived  it  to  be  a  dis- 
solving view,  in  which  nothing  but  black  crosses  gradually 
turned  into  crosses  and  rails ;  rails,  crosses,  and  little  chapels ; 
cypresses,  chapels,  crosses,  and  rails. 

On  walking  into  this  mass,  which,  by  means  of  little  nar- 
row rectangular  paths,  I  was  enabled  to  penetrate  in  all  direc- 
tions, I  ascertained  the  manner  in  which  the  system  is  ar- 
ranged. 

As  soon  as  a  certain  quantity  of  the  ''  fosse  commune  "  is 
filled  with  coffins,  placed  three  abreast,  and  sanded  over  with 
about  half  an  inch  of  soil,  in  the  way  described,  workmen  are 
employed  to  bury  them  under  4^  feet  of  ground,  which  is  then 
f§.intly  marked  out  into  paths,  and  tiny  graves,  4  feet  in  length, 
by  2  in  breadth,  at  the  head  of  each  of  which  is  stuck  the 
black  cross,  the  name,  and,  if  any,  the  wreaths  of  immortelles 
that  belong  to  it.  The  City  of  Paris  having  thus  very  liber- 
ally done  all  that  it  deems  neceslsary,  the  friends  of  each 
corpse,  taking  care  not  to  intrude  upon  the  space  retained  for 
the  commoii  path,  surround  the  little  cell  allotted  as  the  grave 
with  an  oak  railing,  about  18  inches  high,  the  interior  of  which 
they  ornament  in  any  way  they  think  proper.  In  many  of 
those  only  lately  enclosed  I  perceived  nothing  but  four  thin 
cypress-plants,  scarcely  a  foot  high  ;  in  others,  these  four  seed- 
ling plants  and  some  flowers.  As  I  proceeded  I  found,  at  the 
head  of  the  grave,  in  addition  to  the  cypresses  which  every- 
where existed,  a  little  wooded  black  box,  about  a  foot  and  a 
half  square,  enclosed  in  front  with  a  single  common-sized  pan<> 


PERE  LA   CHAISE. 


477 


of  window-glass.  Within  this  tiny  ohapel  was  usually  a  little 
doll,  and  an  altar,  ornamented  with  uandles  about  the  thick- 
ness and  length  of  a  common  luoifer-matoh.  On  the  black 
cross  of  every  grave  appeared,  in  white  paint,  an  inscription, 
sometimes  very  long  indeed,  and  sometimes  very  short ;  for 
instance,  on  the  cross  of  one  poor  man  there  was  merely 
written — 

"Lafonqb." 

At  the  foot  of  this  latter  cross  was  a  white  plaster  of  Paris 
angel,  about  six  inches  high,  firmly  tied  to  the  black  wood  by 
a  piece  of  tarred  whipcord  round  its  neck.  As  I  advanced  I 
found  in  the  graves,  besides  the  ornaments  I  have  enumerated 
China  roses  and  flowers. 

One  of  the  little  chapels  contained,  on  its  altar,  a  white 
"  forget-me-not "  wreath,  a  child's  bonnet,  and  a  child's  whis- 
tle. In  another,  the  humble  tribute  of  affection,  which  the 
poor  mother  of  the  deceased  had  often,  no  doubt,  eome  to  visit, 
was  a  white  garland,  inscribed — 

beneath  was  the  child's  toy,  a  horse  drawing  a  red  water-cart 
on  wheels,  which  must  have  cost  about  two  sous. 

As  I  was  wandering  among  these  little  memorials,  which  I 
felt  to  be  infinitely  more  affecting  than  huge  ugly  specimens  of 
bad  sculpture  which  usually  so  inadequately  explain  what  they 
are  intended  to  represent,  fancying  I  W8  ;^ntirely  by  myself,  I 
almost  trod  upon  a  man  dressed  in  a  blouH  ',  on  his  hands  and 
knees  arranging  one  of  the  gardens  I  have  described.  The 
creel,  or  basket,  he  had  carried  on  his  back,  and  which  was 
resting  against  the  oak  railing,  had  contained  all  the  require- 
ments for  a  poor  man's  grave,  namely,  about  half  a  bushel  of 
garden  earth,  four  little  cypresses,  box  enough  to  border  a 
path  made  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  a  stick  to  drill  it  in. 
He  had  just  completed  very  neatly  his  job,  and  seemed  much 
pleased  at  my  admiring  it. 

As  I  approached  the  extremity  of  the  space  allotted  for 
common  graves,  the  roses  and  cypresses  became  gradually  so 
high  that  they  completely  overshadowed  their  respective  terri- 
tories. 

*  My  beloved  child  1 


I 


478 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FRENCH  STICKS. 


On  leaving  this  compartment  of  the  cemetery  I  walked  to 
the  temporary  graves,  which,  at  a  short  distance,  appeared  to 
be  a  beautiful  forest  of  cypresses,  elegantly  waving  in  the 
wind,  and  which,  when  closely  inspected,  were  equally  inter- 
esting. The  grass,  which,  generally  speaking,  had  resumed 
possession,  was  very  nearly  of  the  height  (30  inches)  of  the 
little  oak  fences,  within  which,  although  here  and  there  were 
to  be  discovered  roses  in  bloom,  the  "  immortelles  "  were  faded 
and  decayed.  In  short,  vegetable  life  had  apparently  nearly 
extinguished  human  affections — the  one  had  vigorously  in- 
creased, the  other  had  almost  expired.  Unhampered  by  a 
guide,  I  wandered  about  these  narrow  paths,  up  hill  and  down 
dale,  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  turning  suddenly  to  the  right, 
then  to  the  left,  through  paths  so  narrow  that  the  boughs  of 
the  cypresses  on  each  side  bent  as  I  passed  through  them.  In 
several  graves  I  perceived  lurking,  with  sundry  little  holes  in 
their  faces,  breasts,  wings,  and  legs,  the  remains  of  dilapidated 
small  plaster  statues.  In  one  grave  was  a  honey-suckle  in 
bloom,  shedding  fragrance  around  it  to  a  considerable  distance. 
'3n  reaching  the  upper  portion  of  the  hill,  there  lay  beneath 
me,  at  a  distance,  in  the  pays  bas  of  the  cemetery,  the  "  fosses 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the  green  wilderness 


communes 


of  the  tenant  portion.  Among  the  permanent  graves,  which 
looked  so  grotesque,  stiff,  and  formal,  that  for  some  seconds  I 
paused  on  the  threshold  of  their  dominion,  unwilling  to  enter, 
I  observed,  in  front  of  an  obelisk,  and  leaning  against  its  iron 
rails  in  an  attitude  of  pensive  reflection  rather  than  of  prayer, 
a  tall  lady  of  an  elegant  figure,  exceedingly  well-dressed. 

After  walking  for  a  considerable  distance  diagonally 
through  the  space  allotted  to  permanent  graves,  I  came,  very 
nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  cemetery,  to  its  chapel,  a  small, 
well-constructed,  substantial,  plain,  appropriate  building,  con- 
taining a  number  of  homely  chairs,  among  which  were  two  wo- 
men very  devoutly  kneeling,  and,  as  I  was  unwilling  to  disturb 
them;  I  continued  my  course  until  I  reached  the  paved  avenue 
leading  to  the  lofty  iron  entrance  gates,  towards  which,  under 
a  very  burning  sun  and  in  a  glaring  light,  I  was  descending, 
vhen  I  observed  approaching  mo  a  stout  and  very  short  well- 
dressed  gentleman,  of  about  forty,  who,  with  blue  spectacles 
resting  op  rather  a  small  upturned  nose,  and  with  his  face  run- 
ning down  with  perspiration,  was  affectionately  puffing  up  the 


\  i 


PEBE  LA  CHAISE. 


479 


hill,  with  the  head  of  a  small  snow-white  plaster  aagel  in  each  of 
his  hot  hands,  leaving  the  wings,  body,  ana  legs  not  only  pendent, 
hut  vibrating  in  the  air  through  which  he  walked.  He  had 
probably  just  bought  them  from  one  of  the  numberless  shops 
in  the  Bue  de  la  Roquette  leading  to  the  cemetery,  and  was 
on  his  road  to  deposit  them  on  some  grave  as  a  tribute  of  hia 
affection. 

Although  in  the  various  little  scenes  I  witnessed,  and  which  I 
have  faithfully  described,  exactly  in  the  order,  or  rather  disorder, 
in  which  they  chanced  to  occur,  there  were  occasionally  some 
which  may  appear  to  the  reader,  as  thev  appeared  to  me,  to  be 
less  impressive  than  they  were  intended  to  be,  yet  in  approach- 
ing the  gate  of  the  cemetery  of  P^ro  la  Chaise  I  could  not 
but  admit  that  the  arrangements  I  had  witnessed  are  on  the 
whole  not  only  highly  creditable  to  the  people  of  Paris,  but 
that  they  form  a  striking  contrast  to  those  foul  fashions — that 
horrid  and  unnatural  mixture  of  the  living  and  the  dead — 
tijiat  have  hitherto  disgraced  the  metropolis  of  England. 

In  Paris,  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  death  of  every 
inhabitant,  the  corpse,  with  any  pomp  or  at  any  cost  which  its 
relatives  may  feel  desirous  to  expend — or,  if  it  be  that  of  a 

Soor  person,  at  no  cost  at  all — is  by  law  delivered  to  the  Or- 
onnateur  des  Pojiipes  Fun^bres  to  be  carried  beyond  the  bar- 
riers of  the  city,  where,  under  official  supervision,  it  is  depos- 
ited in  a  sufficiently  deep  grave,  subsequently  ornamented 
in  any  way  the  pride,  taste,  or  affection  of  survivors  may  dic- 
tate. 

In  London,  under  the  tyranny  of  barbarous  habits,  which 
it  has  been  deemed  a  fine  thing  to  support,  at  exorbitant  charges 
discreditable  to  the  rich  and  ruinous  to  the  poor,  corpses, 
ornamented  with  frills,  caps,  and  garments  more  or  less  fine, 
have,  by  the  laws  of  fashion,  been  required,  usually  for  a  week, 
and  often  longer,  not  only  to  pollute  the  atmosphere  of  the 
living,  but,  as  if  to  perpetuate  the  evil,  they  have  afterwards 
been  interred  around  almost  every  place  of  worship  in  the  me- 
tropolis,— ^nay,  even  deposited  beneath  the  very  pavement  on 
which  the  living  have  been  congregating  for  prayer. 

The  corruption  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  human  bodies 
has,  below  ground,  polluted  the  springs  of  water,  while,  above, 
it  is  a  well^nown  fact  that  the  miasma  from  the  corpses  of 
the  inhabitants  of  London  first  attaches  itself  to,  and  then  cor' 


480 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FREJSOH  STICKS. 


rupts,  meat  saspended  in  the  larders  of  the  nei^hboarhood: 
and  thus  people  of  fashion  and  high  rank,  and  in  beautiful 
olothes,  every  day  ^houMike  drink  up  and  eat  up  a  portion  of 
the  oaroases  of  their  dead  I 

It  is  not  so  in  Paris.  In  addition  to  the  cemetery  of  Pdre 
]a  Chaise  for  the  eastern  district,  there  are  that  of  Montmar 
tre  for  the  northern,  that  of  Mont  Parnasse  for  the  southern, 
besides  a  cemetery  appropriated  for  the  use  of  hospitals  and 
for  the  interment  of  criminals. 


■•-•-♦- 


CONCLUSION. 


■.m 


In  our  parting  scene  my  kind  landlady  had  such  a  reyolving 
series  of  last  words  to  say  to  me,  that  on  reaching  the  £)mbar- 
cadere  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway  I  had  only  time  to 
take  my  ticket  for  Boulogne,  and  my  seat,  when  the  train 
started ;  and  as  a  vessel  sails  out  of  harbour  into  open  sea,  so, 
on  looking  out  of  the  windows  on  either  side,  I  soon  found 
myself  flying  through  that  boundless  space  of  little  unenclosed 
fields  which  of  various  shapes  and  colours  compose  the  gay 
chequered  surface  of  France. 

The  carriage  was  full,  or,  as  it  is  called  in  French,  was 
"  complet."  Most  of  my  fellow  travellers  had,  either  at  their 
side  or  beneath  their  feet,  a  basket  full  of  eatables,  a  bottle 
and  a  glass.  Immediately  opposite  to  me  sat  a  large  grave 
Frenchman  of  about  forty.  His  omnium-gatherum  of  provi- 
sions lived  in  a  red  handkerchief ;  and  after  he  had  undone  it, 
looked  them  all  over,  and  tied  them  all  up  again,  he  took  from 
his  waistcoat-pocket  a  small  short  saw  of  black  horn,  with 
which  he  slowly  flattened  and  reflattened  every  hair  on  his 
head,  and  then,  looking  me  full  in  the  face  all  the  time  he  was 
doing  it,  he  as  carefully  combed  out  his  mustachios. 

I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  during  the  journey  a  variety 

of  other  little  equally  important  circumstances  occurred;  I 

have,  however,  no  recollection  of  them,  for  my  truant  mind,  a^ 

'  if  it  had  escaped  out  of  the  open  window  at  my  side,  flew  back 

to  Paris  to  ruminate  on  the  various  subjects  that  had  there  oo* 


W 


ooyoLusios, 


481 


00* 


eapiad  its  tttention ;  in  short,  I  felt  it  imposiiUe  to  leiyo  tho 
neighbourhood  of  Uw  metropolis  of  France  without  enumerat> 
ing  to  myself  a  series  of  oirilities  and  kindnesses  which,  so 
long  as  my  memory  lasts,  will  form  a  subject  of  agreeaUe  re- 
flection :  indeed,  to  be  able  to  add  to  those  for  whom  one  has  • 
lasting  re^rd  a  whole  nation,  oucht  to  be  considered  an  aec^tti- 
sition  of  mestimable  yalue,  a  blessing  to  intellectual  vision, 
which,  as  it  cheers  in  darkness  as  well  as  in  daylight,  is  greater 
even  than  that  in  the  power  of  the  oculist  to  bestow. 

The  political  state  of  France  naturally  next  engrossed  my 
attention,  and  although  my  Tcrv  short  residence  at  Paris  did 
not  enable  me,  and  indeed  would  not  entitle  me,  to  presume  to 
enter  deeply  on  the  subject,  the  following  vague  sketch  has  the 
solitary  advantage  of  being  drawn  at  least  b^  a  friendly  hand^ 

Whatever  may  abstractedly  be  said  agamst  a  Bepublic,  it 
is  undeniable  that  that  established  in  France  in  UB48  was  the 
result  of  a  far-sighted,  louff-oonsidered,  deliberate  dee  ire  on  the 
part  of  the  French  people  to  exchange  Monarchy  for  Demo* 
cracy;  and  accordingly,  in  spite  of  every  precaution  that  di- 
plomacy and  military  science  united  could  devise,  in  spite  of 
rank,  wealth,  patronage,  fortifications,  and  an  army  of  enor^ 
mous  force,  the  power  of  the  Monarchy,  at  a  giv«i  moment,, 
was  precipitated,  as  suddenly,  as  an  element  in  chemistry  falls 
in  impalpable  powder  through  a  liquid,  which,  from  a  prdTeren* 
tial  affinity  for  something  else,  refuses  any  longer  to  hold  it  in 
solution. 

Wh^  the  French  people  disliked  Monarchy,  or  tohy  ihej 
preferred  a  Republic,  no  foreigner  has  any  right  to  inquire  ;> 
and  accordingly  feeling  it  to  be  my  bounden  duty  not  to  enter 
upon  this  vexed  question,  on  arriving  at  Paris  all  I  desired 
was  mutely  and  inoffensively  to  observe,  as  carefully  as  I  was 
able,  the  movements  of  a  piece  of  political  machinery,  which  I 
conceived  at  all  events  possessed  the  inestimable  qiudifioation 
of  pleasing  tibe  proprietors  to  whom  it  belonged.  In  this  de- 
sire, people  in  England,  I  believe,  generally  concur,  for,  although 
nobody  believes  l£%t  the  present  state  of  Franoe  will  last,  many 
consider  it  as  an  interesting  pplitical  experiment  they  are  de- 
sirous of  watching  carefully  But  impartially.  They  are  look- 
ing at  it  step  by  step :  but  the  end  they  truly  say  is  not  yet 
pome,  and  therefore  they  do  not  want  to  near  a  hasty  sentence 
pronoiinced  before  the  trial  has  been  completed. 

81 


482 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FXENOH  STICKS. 


With  these  impressicins  on  my  mind  I  conoeiTed  it  woold 
"be  exceedingly  diffioalt  to  arrive  at  any  correct  conclusion  on 
the  subject.  I  expected  to  find  the  new  system  unpalatable  to 
ril  who  had  been  nourished  L7  the  old  one ;  and  as  those  whose 
rank  had  elevated  them  above  the  condition  of  their  fellow 
creatures,  and  who  directly  or  inc^reotly  had  profited  by  ex- 
pensive government,  were  very  numerous,  I  fully  anticipated 
they  would,  one  and  all,  exactly  as  loudly  as  they  dared,  aisaih 
prove  of  the  changes  that  had  been  effected. 

I  own,  however,  I  was  not  prepared,  nay,  that  I  was  alto- 
gether what  is  commonly  called  *'  taken  aback"  at  ascertaining, 
almost  at  a  glance,  that  with  scarcely  an  exception,  everybody 
at  Paris  not  only  confesses,  but  openly  declares  to  any  foreigner 
and  utter  stranger  who  will  do  them  the  favour  to  listen  to 
them,  that  the  revolution  they  themselves  have  effected  has 
been  productive  tb  them  of  most  injurious  results,  every  day 
becoming  more  and  more  intolerable  I 

The  depression  of  rank,  fashion,  and  folly,  has  not  only,  as 
might  be  expected,  been  unpalatable  to  their  respective  votaries, 
but  has  cutoff  the  supplies  from  hundre,ds  of  thousands  of  de- 
serving people  of  no  rank,  no  fashion,  and  no  folly,  who  directly 
or  indirecdy  had  been  subsisting  on  an  artificial  system  of  ex-^ 
penditure  profitable  to  them  all.  Although,  therefore,  there 
was  not  the  slightest  fear  of  any  immediate  outbreak,  and  al- 
though generally  spejiking  nothing  could  exceed  the  friendly 
bearing  of  all  classes  towards  each  other,  yet  a  period  of  mo- 
netary terror  existed,  the  effects  of  which  depressed  all  classes 
of  the  community ;  indeed,  I  sain  faithfully  declare  that  every 
shopkeeper  I  enquired  of  told  me,  without  reservation,  that  the 
Bevolution  of  1848  was  ruining  him;  and  as  I  found  that  con- 
versing with  them  on  the  subject  gave  them  no  offence — on  the 
contrary,  that,  like  people  suffering  from  bodily  pain,  they  liked 
to  explain  their  ailments — I  invariably  put  to  them  this  plain 
question :  . 

Can  you  tell  me  of  any  one  set  of  people  who  have  gained 
by  your  revolution  ?  All  replied  in  the  negative,  excepting  one 
man,  who,  with  a  good-humoured  smile,  said,  "  Our  representa- 
tives in  the  Assembly  have  gained  their  wages  (25  francs  a-day) 
by  it." 

t      So  dearly  do  the  most  respectable  of  the  labouring  clashes 
see  the  error  that  has  been  committed,  that  in  at  least  twenty 


5on- 
Ithe 


CONOLWSTOJf.  -  \^ 

of  the  grefti  *<fabriqaes"  (inantifaotories)'T>f  Paris  thete  haogs. 
placarded  by  the  workmen  themselvee,  the  following  "  a^ohe  r 

"  ]bi  an  DinmBTT  vm  TMXLm  poixnouB  ov  D'nmBODxnuB  nn  Jovinaox  vo> 
unQDis  DAMS  i.'atklieb.    La  vsjoo^bs  woWf  cm  joaaaat  pb  26  gbntdceb. 

2-60.      8— iLAPOBTK."*  ^^^_  ^^j 

"  It  is,"  however,  **  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  any  good  ;** 
and,  aocordinely,  on  ascertaining  that  the  whole  of  the  upper 
and  respectable  classes  agreed  together  in  deprecating  the  new 
system,  I  own  I  expected  that  the  very  lowest  orders  must  ne- 
cessarily be  the  gainers  of  what  the  others  were  the  losers :  to 
my  astonishment,  however,  I  found  them,  if  possible,  more 
■clearly  convinced  of  the  error  that  had  been  committed,  and 
better  able  to  explain  it,  than  the  well-educated  classes ;  and 
thus,  as  in  preceding  chapters  I  have  detailed,  commission- 
naires,  guides,  gravediggers,  the  drivers  of  fiacres,  down  to  the 
very  scavengers  who  subsisted  on  the  offal  of  the  street^,  all 
declared,  in  different  attitudes  and  in  different  accents,  that 
they  had  grown  leaner  tnder  the  system  which  they  had  ez- 
]^eoted  would  have  fattened  them ;  in  short,  the  very  men  who, 
with  extraordinary  bravery  and  with  the  greatest  fuiy,  had 
fought  to  obtain — and  who  triumphantly  did  obtain — a  Repub- 
lic, hungry,  sorrowful,  and  emaciated,  now  unite  together  to 
substantiate  a  moral .  interesting  to  the  whole  family  of  man- 
kind, namely,'how  little  good  revolution  has  done  them ;  on  the 
contrary,  how  much  mischief ! 

¥  But  although  I  affirm  what  any  person  in  a  few  hours  can 
ascertain  for  himself,  that  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  men  at 
Paris  are  dissatisfied  with  their  present  political  condition,  it 
must  not  be  inferred  that  thergore  all  are  opposed  to  a  Be- 
public. 

'  That  democracy  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  a  Frenchman's 
ideas  of  rank,  order,  grandeur,  and  glory,  is  undeniable.  Many, 
however,  adhere  to  the  Bepublio,  fearing  that  a  change  might 
produce  something  worse.  A  much  larger  number  adhere  to  it 
as  the  partizans  of  chiefs  whom  for  evident  reasons  they  are 
desirous  to  invest  with  patronage  and  power.  The  Red  party, 
who  term  the  present  state  of  order  "  a  Monarchy  disguised," 

*  It  is  forbidden  to  talk  politics,  or  to  introduce  xK>litica]  newspapera 
-faito  M%  workshop  For  the  1st  offence,  a  fine  of  26  centimea.  The  Slid, 
50.    The  third,  out  with  him.  ,     _ ,  „v,*  *-— ...-^  ' 


m 


A  FAOGOjF  ^F  FUmCH  STICKS. 


mpport-A  BepnUio^  Woanse  iher  believe  it  &v<sara3>Ie -for  ibelro- 
iationB.  They  ate  men  who,  if  they  pvt  «p  an  ,«atfaorit7  to- 
day,  wonld  pml  it  down  to-morrow  merely  to  erect  some  other 
|)ower  in  its  stead ;  in  fkot,  4ike  the  Ameriean  backwoodsmen, 
tts  soon  88  ther  have  Oflfected  one  dearanoe  they  yearn  to  re- 
tnm  to  the  wudemess  for  tho  pure  love  of  encountering  fresli 
•diffionltiefl. 

in  the  present  Assembty  the  number  of  Socialists  is  abot^ 
150.    After  the  next  deotion  there  will  probably  not  be  50. 

Lastly,  there  are  in  Paris,  in  favour  of  the  Republic,  30,000 
for^ts,  or  convicted  men  who  only  appear  at  night — ^who, 
when  they  get  up  in  the  morning,  not  knowing  where  to  break 
fiuit,  live  partly  by  robbery,  partly  by  the  support  of  women, 
and  partly  by  tiiat  of  "les  cloobs"  (political  clubs),  who  fancy 
they  may  require  them.  It  was  prmcipally  by  these  people 
thi^t  the  horrors  of  the  late  revolutions  were  perpetrated. 
*^  Je  suis  hien  vene^P*  exclaimed  one  of  them  as  he  was  about 
to  be  shot,  and  who^  suiting  his  action  to  his  words,  drew  from 
his  pocketf^  and  with  savage  triumph  threw  down  upon  the 

S round,  15  or  16  human  tongues )  Another  wretch  of  thig 
escriptlon,  caught  mutilating  the  bo^es  of  the  dead,  was 
torn  into  quarters  by  four  dragoons,  who,  attaching  a  cord  to 
each  of  his  arms  and  legs  and  wen  to  their  saddles,  trotted  off 
in  opposite  directions. 

Of  the  real  r^epublioans  who  effected  the  Revolution,  many 
are  dead  (it  is  well  known  that  thirty  thousand  people  were 
kiUed  in  that  of  July) ;  many  are  tired  of  it ;  many  worn  out 
by  it 

With  respect  to  (M  Napoleon,  people  of  all  parties  delight 
to  dream  of  the  glory  of  the  past,  of  tne  battles  of  Rivoli,  the 
Pyramids,  Marengo,  and  Austerlitz;  his  popularity  however 
throughout  France  rests  on  his  restoration,  religious,  moral, 
administrative,  and  political,  of  society  that  had  been  demol- 
ished hj  the  Revolutionists,— K>n  his  having  Improved  or 
reorganised  the  finances  of  the  country,— on  his  having  re-es- 
tablished the  administration  of  justice,  and  of  havi  t  created  a 
code  of  lawB  which,  as  they  have  never  been  formally  abolished, 
form  to  this  day  a  sort  of  arsenal  to  which  the  Government, 
whatever  it  may  be,  resorts  when  necessary. 

A  majority  of  the  Assembly,  of  the  inhabitants  of  France, 
and  the  army  of  AJgeria,  are  supposed  to  be  in  &voiir  oi  the 
restoration  of  Monarchy. 


coNcursiom 


I8» 


^noe, 


f't  It  is  evident,  from  the  mere  showing  of  the  oMe,  thtt  these 
vsrioos  elements,  were  thej  to  remain  nnoontroued,  wonld 
Terj  quickly  reproduce  fermentation. 

The  overwhelming  army  of  Franoe,  however,  at  an  enor^ 
mens  expense,  effeotnally  maintains  the  public  peace;  and 
without  entering  into  political  discussions,  and  without  inter* 
fering  with  any  alterations  that  may  constitutionally  be  propos* 
ed,  it  laoonioaUy,  like  the  schoolboy's  dialogue,  replies  to  any 
one  who,  impatient  of  deliberation,  would  overturn  ^  Bepub* 
Ho  by  force,  as  follows : —  * 

"Who  pat  it  there  t 
A  better  man  than  yon,— 
Tondiitifyondardl'' 

Under  these  extraordinary  circumstances  the  French  peoplef 
are  now  deliberating  in  what  manner  they  shall  constitational- 
ty,  and  without  blo^shed,  effect  another  revolution. 

Excepting  the  Socialists,  the  interest  of  all  parties  is  ideh- 
tical — that  is  to  say,  all  desire  tranquillity  and  commercial 
prosperity,  and  ^et.  with  so  laudable  an  object  in  view,  it  is 
distressing  to  witness  the  almost  insuperable  difficulties  which 
a  brave,  intellectual,  amiable,  and  highly  civHiKed  people  are 
suffering  from  having,  by  their  own  act  and  deed,  placed  them- 
selves in  a  predicament  in  which  their  judgment  is  assailed  by 
feelings  it  is  out  of  the  feeble  power  ox  human  nature  to  over- 
eome. 

It  must  be  clear  to  them,  as  it  is  dear  to  every  calm  obser- 
ver of  their  position,  that  they  have  to  settle  two  plain  ques-- 
tions  of  very  unequal  importance,  namely — 

1st.  Under  what  description  of  Government  they  would 
wish  to  live  %    And,  when  tMU  great  point  is  determined, 

2ndly.  Who  is  the  piq^tor  penKmage  they  would  wish  to 
place  at  its  head  % 

Now  if  it  were  possible  abstractedly  to  bring  before  the 
consideration  of  the  French  people  the  first  only  of  these  two 
questions,  a  most  extraordinary  unanimity  would  prevail  in  &- 
Tour  of  discarding  with  ignominy-^in  fitct  of  drumming  out  of 
the  country — a  Bepublio  which  has  been  found  to  be  practical- 
ly unsuitea  to  the  polite,  orderly^  high*bred  notione  of  the 
nation;  but  such  is-human  nature,  so  dunning  is  the  human 
niind-Hi»  orally  and  so  cautions  where  self-interest  is  conoem* 


486 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBSNOU  STICKS. 


^d-^thtt,  do  what  they  idll,  the  consideratidn  of  the  iMMtond 
question  takes  preoedenoe  of  the  first;  and  thus,  instead  of 
forming  one  great  dignified  assembly,  the  nation  has  split  it- 
self into  seotions><-may  I,  without  offenoe,  say  faotions-~eaoh 
of  which,  overlooking  the  main  prescription,  is  now  solely  oc- 
cupied in  advancing  by  every  j>ossible  means  their  johief tain 
Prince  A,  the  Duke  of  B,  the  Count  of  0,  or  General  D,  to  be 
the  head  of  ...  .  they  know  not  what  II  , 

-($  *|The  plan  of  the  Begentist  fiaction,"  says  the  latest  ac- 
count from  Paris,  '*is,  that  in  the  event  of  the  Prince  de  Join- 
ville  being  elected  a  representative  of  the  people,  the  Assem- 
bly would  name  him  its  President,  and  that  he,  in  turn,  would 
appoint  General  Ghangamier  Commander  of  the  Forces,  con- 
sidered by  him  (General  C.)  necessary  for  the  protection  of 
^atbody." 
1  With  these  antagonist  objects  in  view,  the  difierent  par- 
tie^,  violently  canvassing,  become  not  only  jealous  but  so  mis- 
trustful of  each  othjer,  that  the  difficulty  of  their  deliberating 
together  on  the  main  point  to  be  settled  daily  increases.  In 
the  meanwhile,  just  as  an  ancient  knight  used  often  to  faint 
from  the  weight  of  his  armour  Jtheir  own  army  of  oocupatipn 
iJB  almost,  without  metaphor,  eating  them  up;  and  accordingly 
the  annual  defioienoy  in  their  exchequer,  caused  not  only  by 
enormous  military  expenses,  but  by  public  works  continued  by 
each  minister  to  buv  tranquillity  for  the  country  and  popular- 
ity for  himself,  has  to  be  supplied  by  successive  issues  of  Bona 
Boyaui^  or  Exchequer  Bills,  which  the  3ank  of  France  take 
in  emplovment  of  tneir  large  deposits,  a  febrifuge  which  will 
last  until  the  day  of  payment  comes,  or  until  a  political  crisis 
cAdl  pause  a  discredit  of  Government  securities. 

Btmcffia?  i*OR  186a. 

{Bethie0dfrom  the  Projet  de  Lot  of  February  8,  1861,  at  the  exchange  ef 
Ow4  :w  Hi  26yV'aftc«j)«rjM>tmi«<er/tfij^.) vvi  iy 

"^  (xr  *^''  •       ;  ■     '  -  •■  '"'■  ■ 

io  ,tov'.-,  ■  Rbobipxb.   •  & 


r*t^^?"' *ttae%  direct  and  indirect 
^'  Bwerve  of  inking  Eund 


62,120,000 
8,186,000 

4^^806|OOp 


CONCLUSION. 


48r 


*-,r  -'^^a^'f- 


;-. »»  r-. 


XLlpjemdituhx. 


.^1 


Pablio  Debt,  Annnitiea^  and  Int&mA  on 

TreMurr  Bonda        .           .           .  10,780,000 

Nati(«al  Aaaemblj       .           *           .  812tOOO 

Eze<;utiTe      '  .            .            .            .  60,000— 

Administration  of  Justioe  Hnduding        • 

220,0001.  to  die  Ji]g«9  do  Paix)         .  1/)06,OOO 

Public  Instruction       .           .           .  911,800 

Pablio  Worship             .           •           .  I,d80^o00 

Army                ...       .            .            .  12,191,000 

Navy     .            .            .            .            .  4^122,000 

Public  Works,  Agriculture,  <bc            .  9,608,000 
Government  Estaolishments,  Collection 

of  Revenue,  Drawback^  <ba              .  9,206,000 

..^jEtraordinaiy  Works               .           .  2,964,200 


£57,885,000 


^  A  careful  analysis  of  the  above  published  accounts  of  the 
receipts  j&nd  expenditure  of  France,  will  show  that  the  conn- 
try  is  living  beyond  its  income ;  in  short,  that  irrespective  of 
political  revolutions,  it  is  on  the  high  road  to  ruin :  for  the 
late  aj^rent  excess  of  income  has  peen  produced  by  the  jug- 
gle of  excluding  about  three  millions  sterling,  o<|.  the  ground 
of  its  being  extraordinary  expenditure  (though  raised  and 
spent  within  the  year),  and  then  taking  a  sum  of  more  than 
three  millions  from  tne  Reserve  of  the  Sinking  S'und.     But 
who  can  say  what  is  the  financial  state  of  a  Bepubliq  that  hai 
no  check  upon  its  issues  of  Bons  de  Tr^sor  (the  annual  inter- 
est  on  the  floating  debt  is  more  than  a  million  sterling),  and 
that,  on  the  other  hand,  meddles  with  everything;  interfering^ 
like  the  Pacha  of  Egypt,  with  every  object  of  national  Indus- 
try?    For  instance,  the  Government,  at  an  absurd  cost,  has 
its  manufactory  of  porcelain  at  Sevres ;   of  carpets  at  the 
Gobelins ;  of  tobacco  called  the  Begie :  its  establishment  for 
the  breed  of  horses;  for  mineral  waters ;  for  baths  and  wash- 
houses.     It  gives  large  sums  to  encourage  the  fisheries,  to 
prop  up  by  drawbacks  and  premiums  unproductive  branches 
of  industry;  and  lastly,  it  expends  180,000/.  on  the  theatres 
and  fine  arts,  and  80,000/.  in  ostentatious  gifts  on  the  occasion 
of  fires  and  storms,  the  latter  of  which  are  sure  to  rage  in  the 
departments  whose  loyal^  it  is  desirable  to  secure.    The  dis* 
iribntion,  too,  of  a  sum  of  220,000/.  annually  among  the  Jugec 


4W^ 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBESdn  STICKS, 


de  Paix  18  a  souroe  of  patronage  on  a^  grand  scale.  Again,  let 
those  who  rave  about  the  economy  of  a  Bepublio  look  at  the 
National  Assembly  voting  itself  a  tram  nz  tinies  as  large  as  it 
doles  ont  to  the  "  Executive-!"  Let  them  think  of  an  army, 
in  time  of  perfect  peace,  costing  more  than  twelve  millions 
sterling  I  of  the  corruption  and  peculation  that  maybe  cov- 
ered under  an  ezpendittire  of  nearly  ten  millions  on  railroads, 
public  works,  improvement  .of  Paris,  dte.  I^ally,  let  them 
consider  the  nrand  total  of  fifty-eieht  millions  sterling  ex- 
tracted Arom  we  French  people  under  this  system  of  Repub- 
lican economy. 

Now,  it  may  justly  be  asked,  What  is  to  be  the  end  of  all 
this? 

In  r^ly,  it  is  submitted,  that,  inasmuch  at  people  of  all 
parties  in  France  agree  that  the  prea&nt  system  cannot  last, 
there  are  thVee  ways  in  which  the  inevitable  changes  they  de- 
sire may  be  effected. 

1st.  B^  a  strun^le  in  the  present  Assembly,  under  the  pre- 
sent Constitution,  jMtween  the  two  great  parties — ^the  people 
reinaininffquiet. 

^^^2nd.  By  a  struggle  in  the  Assembly  for  a  change  in  the 
existing  Oonstitution,  in  whidi  capitalists  and  men  of  all  par- 
ties w(mld  join. 

3rd.  B^  a  general  revolution,  caused  by  stagnation  of 
thkde ;  loss  of  pnblid  fidth  and  confidence;  scarcity  of  money ; 
i^ant  of  employment; — ^in  fiut,  a  revolution  eaused  by  an 
atmed  population,  suffering  from  misery  and  want;  in  fact, 
starving. 

Either  of  the  two  first  of  these  revolutions  oould  be  effect- 
ed simply  by  a  war  of  words  and  ink.  If,  however,  nether 
succeed  m  briiiffing  the  question  to  a  peanreful  issue,  it  is  fear- 
ful to  reflect  uiat  Ftanoe  m^ust  inevitably  be  involved  in  a 
civil  war— in  a  war  to  the;  biife^  which  wiU  not  only  deluga 
&e  land  with  blood ;  will  not  only  sever  property  of  every, 
description  from  its  lawful  proprietors— but,  after  carnage 
lind  plnnder  have  ceased^  wiu  leave  the  real  question,  to  say 
the  least,  as  unsettled  as  ever!  Now,  strange  to  say,  while 
the  whole  French  nation,  grouped  into  factions,  with  a  hurri- 
<ia|^e  brewing  up  to  windwud,  are  at  this  moment  occupied  \n, 
dearohingj  its  intently  as  a  man  looks  for  a  lost  needle  in  •) 
haystaokj  for  tbo  very  tlun|$:  itt  onntioii  wiiob)  on  ^  2lfl^ 


oojraLUsiojt  4^ 

Jftmnry,  1793  f^y-nine  yeftrs  ago),  they  out  off  and  ohuoked 
aWay,  namely,  tne  head  of  their  Gonstitution,  it  haa  pleased 
Almighty  God  to  plaee  at  the  helm  of  their  affaira  a  pilol 
possessing  very  nearly  all  the  qualifications  necessary  for  re- 
storing to  France  that  tranqailhty  and  commercial  prosperity 
she  so  ardently  desires  to  attain. 

From  every  person  whoSe  opinion  was  worthy  of  reapeot  I 
heard,  dnrin^  my  short  residence  in  Paris,  Prince  Louis  17a- 
poleon  desonhed  as  <*  honest,  wise,  silent  and  independent.'* 
Baring  the  serere  trial  to  which  he  has  been  snbjected,  he 
has  firmly  defended  relij^on  against  atheism,  the  rights  of 
property  against  plunderers,  order  against  revolutionists. 
His  life,  it  has  quaintly  been  said,  is  altogether  intemid ;  his 
words  do  not  indicate  his  inspiration;  ms  gesture  does  not 
show  his  audacity;  his  glance  does  not  intimate  his  ardour : 
his  demeanour  does  not  reveal  his  resolution.  All  his  moral 
nature  is  in  a  certain  manner  kept  under  by  his  physical  na- 
ture. He  thinks,  and  does  not  discuss ;  he  decides,  and  does 
not  deliberate ;  he  actS)  and  does  not  make  much  movement ; 
ho  pronounces,  and  does  not  assign  his  reasons.  On  the 
whole  I  am  firmly  of  opinion  thai  under  ^mild  exterior,  with 

gentle  manners  and  a  Mnevolent  heart,  Louis  Napoleon  is  an 
onest.  bold,  high-minded  statesman — ^whose  objeot  is  to  main- 
tain the  peace  of  Eurc^e  and  the  r^  glory  and  honour  of 
France.  I  believe  that-  no  clamour  could  force  him,  without 
necessity,  to  declare  war  against  any  nation  on  earth;  and. 
on  the  other  hand^  that  no  combination  of  forces  that  could 
be  devised,  would  induce  him  to  submit  to  any  insult  offered 
to  his  coun^. 

!  Oonsidenng  his  unassuming  demeanour,  the  high  charac- 
ter he  has  sained  throughout  France,  tiie  name  he  bears,  and, 
above  all,  we  vital  necessity  that  exists  for  Frenchmen  of  dl 
poUt^  to  unite  together  nand-in-hand  te  save  their  country 
before  that  black  cloud,  already  above  the  horison,  shall  bring 
terror  and  desolatien  to  all,  it  is  indeed  lamentable  to  observe 
them  deserting  a  man  practically  competent  to  nttain  for 
them  all  they  deidre,  for  the  petty  objeot  of  superseding  him 
bjF  a  Prince,  a  Count,  or  a  General,  who,  whatever  may  be 
their  professions,  promises,  or  abilities^  have  never  been  tested  i 
by  that  heavy  weight  of  responsibility  which  no  sensible  man^ 
speakiBg  eiveii  ef  himself  would  say  he  oould  betr,  until  he 

21* 


490 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBEHTOH  STICKS. 


had  been  ittlijeoted  to  it ;  and  the  rast  misfortane  of  theiq/ 
miserable  oontentions  ia,  that,  if  a  new  candidate  were  to  be 
elected  to-morrow,  overv  effort  he  made  to  serve  France  wou^d, 
in  like  manner,  be  baffled  by  the  discomfited  factions,  who 
would  indiyiduallT  and  collectively  embarass  every  act  of  his 
Government  until,  by  another  dismemberment  of  sooietv,  an 

?)ening  should  be  made  for  the  election  of  their  own  chieftain, 
he  French  are  not  deficient  in  patriotism,  but  the  sad  truth 
is,  that  the  price  which  by  the  overthrow  of  their  Monarchy 
has  been  cast  adrift,  is  too  great  for  the  ambition  of  huma% 
beings  to  resist    In  the  mean  while,—  ( 

"  Everprhere,"  says  the  President  hi  his  late  message  to  the  National 
Assembly,  "labour  grows  slacfe^  povertr  augments,  interests  are  alarmed, 
uid  anti-sooial  expectations  swell  high  in  proportion  as  the  enfeebled 
powers  of  the  State  approach  their  term.** 

It  would,  no  doubt,  be  the  desire  of  M.  Louis  Napoleon, 
utterly  irrespective  of  party,  to  summon  to  his  council  men  of 
sound  judgment,  to  listen  to  their  opinions,  and  to  co-operate 
with  them  in  a  plain,  simple,  straightforward,  honest  course 
of  policy,  which  would  inevitably  restore  to  France  tranquillity, 
confidence,  credit,  and  commerce.  With  such  assistance  his 
career  would  be  aUke  glorious  to  himself,  to  his  colleagues,  and 
to  his  country.  Impeded,  however,  and  opposed  by  states- 
men and  men  of  property  who  ought  to  assist  him,  he  has,  it 
appears,  with  the  decision  that  ohan^cterises  him,  boldly  deter- 
mined to  seek  from  the  illiterate  end  of  the  community  that 
patriotic  support  which  the  upper  end,  shivered  into  frag- 
ments, is  incapable  of  giving^ ;  m  short,  as  a  pilot  in  a  gale  of, 
wind  seeks  security  from  ms  native  shore  in  the  wide  rude 
sea,  BO  has  the  President  of  the  Bepublio  fled  from  the  intel- 
lectual classes  to  universal  suffrage  for  the  purpose  of  saving 
the  vessel  he  is  commanding  &<mi  absolutely  foundering  on 
its  own  rooks.  -    ,^ 

.  The  unfair  dificulties  to  which  he  is  subjected  would,  underi 
any  cir  umstances,  entitle  him  to  the  sympathy  of  every  generr; 
ous  mind ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that  in  the  prosperity i 
and  peace  of  France  are  involved  the  destinies  of  Europe,  the 
gpod  (^oes  of  mankind  ought,  it  is  submitted,  to  be  exetrted  in 
ms  support.  ' -^  '   t* 

edlilMU>ut  invidiously  mentipning  namee,  it  is  matter  of  bi»}i 


OONOLUSION. 


mt 


iorj  that,  amottg  the  Tarioiu  oandidates  fbr  the  offioe  he  now 
holds,  three  hare  not  only  openly  ezpreBsed  their  opinion  at  to 
the  practicability,  but  their  readiness  to  invade  foreign  conn- 
tries,  especially  England,  to  assist  their  inhabitants  in  consti- 
tuting a  repubuo :  a  procedure  which,  besides  creating  mischief 
and  misery  that  could  be  of  service  to  no  one,  would  inevitably 
add  to  the  war  expenses,  impair  the  commerce,  and  increase  the 
embarrassments  of  that  great  nation,  whose  speedy  extrication 
from  her  present  diffioutics  every  liberal  fingUshnmn  must 
ardently  desire.  > 


•  With  these  reflections  in  my  mind,  I  could  not  help  recol- 
lecting how  often,  during  my  residence  in  Paris,  people  to 
whom  I  was  an  utter  stran|;er,  after  explaining  to  me  the 
miserable  political  condition  m  which  they  were  placed,  ended 
their  lamentations  bv  a  generous  and  unc[ualified  expression  of 
their  admiration  of  we  British  Oonstitution.  In  offering,  how- 
ever, what,  no  doubt,  they  considered  to  be  a  compliment,  they. 
little  knew  the  pain  they  inflicted  upon  me.  1 

^  Although  I  nave  throughout  my  life  rigidly  abstained  from 
taking  any  part  m  EngHsh  politicsj  have  never  once  attended 
a  political  meeting,  and  have  never  voted  at  an  election,  I  have 
not  been  insensibfo  of  the  inestimable  blessings  we  enjo;|r  under 
institutions  which  have  effectually  protected  liberty,  life,  and 
property.  It  is,  however,  lamentable  to  observe  the  inex- 
plicable course  which  the  upper  classes  in  England  are  pursuing. 
One  would  conceive  that  a  loss  to  our  country  of  ten  mu- 
lions  of  money  by  the  bad  faith  of  the  North  American  Be- 
public,  added  to  the  lamentable  results  which  have  arisen  from 
the  establishment  of  a  Republic  in  France,  would,  when  con- 
trasted with  our  national  credit,  order,  and  prosperity,  have 
convinced  us  of  the  miserable  consequences  of  transferring  the 
government  of  the  affairs  of  a  great  nation  from  men  of  educa- 
tion and  intelligence-— in  fact,  from  men  of  business — ^to  the 
ilHte^ta  I^  however,  the  latter  class,  notwithstanding  their 
utter  incapacity  to  protect  property  they  do  not  possess,  had  the 
will  and  the  power  to  undertake  such  difficult  duties,  it  would, 
of  course,  be  useless  to  endeavour  to  withhold  it  from  them. 
But  the  truth  is,  the  illiterate  classes  of  the  United  Kingdom 
aro  Afflioted  mi^  no  ^iw^  jdeslre  \  they  evince  no  wish  to  trace 


m-- 


\. 


492 


A  FAGGOT  OF  FBXNOE  STI0K3, 


ndlwayi,  make  drawingi  of  liffhthooMS,  pl»Bfl  of  hsriwuri)  w<,^ 
tions.ana  elevations  of  public  bnildinss,  but,  leaTing  oonoeptiiMi 
to  those  who  better  understand  snob  troublesome  things,  all 
tiiej  want  is  to  be  emnlojed  on  these  works ;  in  shorty  to  oet 
fidr  wages  for  flur  work,  with  a  elear  understanding  that,  if  we 
country  shall  fiul  to  give  than  ftnr  work,  it  shall  m  bound  bv 
law  to  be  at  the  expense  of  supporting  them)  in  fkilure  of  whion 
they  will,  very  naturaUjj  help  thenumres. 

In  like  manner  tho  illiterate  <daises  have  no  desire  what* 
ever  to  take  into  their  own  hands  the  management  of  oor  rela- 
tions with  foreign  countries^  tike  maintenance  of  our  publio 
faith — ^in  short,  tne  trouble  and  botheration  of  regulating  the 
foreign  and  domestic  poUcy  (^  tiie  most  intricate  empire  on  the 

globe.  Provided,  therefore,  they  are  enabled  to  obtain  an 
onest  livelihood^  they  are  imliog  enough,  under  the  vigilant 
supervision  of  a  free  press — ^the  safbst  government  under  the 
sun— ^to  leave  tiie  management  of  publio  afflurs  to  the  millions 
of  educated  men  who,  it  is  well  kinown,  settle  every  question 
that  is  debated,  not  by  physical  strength,  but  by  dint  of  facts, 
figures,  and  sound  reasoning.  In  idiort,  nothing  can  be  more 
praiseworthy  than  the  confidence  which  &e  English  labourer 
and  manufiftoturer  evince  to  intrust  tbe  managanent  of  all 
great  state  quesfcioa*  ia  the  educated  dasses  of  society ;  and  yet 
these  edueated  people  on  whom  they  rely,  by  endless  agitation 
iq>pear  determined  not  oidy  by  an  unwise  ecctenribn  of  the  suf^ 
frage  to  force  the  illiterate  to  take  put  in  vihtM  they  do  not 
understand,  but  to  do<  so  by  means  which,  strange  to  say,  are 
revolting  to  the  fe^ngs  of  the  British  pcN^ple^  sor  instance, 
it  is  known  to  every  m«i  of  education  that  the  commermal 
credit  of  England  rests  «n  tiie  maintenance  of  her  public  fiuth; 
that  as  long  aa  she  maintains  her  ftith  she  is  the  greatest 
nation  on  the  globe;  on  the  other  hand,  as  soon  as  she  loses 
i^  that  not  only  the  whole  fkbrio  ol  her  prosperity  will  fidl  to^ 
pieces,  but  anarchv,  ruin,  and'  Uoodshed  must  ensua 

Protected  by  these  fiiots^  it  is  evident  that  our  national  futh  ^ 
is  secoxe,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  fti 
majority  of  tiie  country  to  incur  the  stuume  of  epenly  advocat- 
ing the  repudiation  of  the  public  debt;  and  yet,  i^  instead  of ' 
voting  in  dayMght^  the  question  were  to  be  settled  in  the  dark  > 
by  the  movement  of  olean  and  dirty  fingers  belonging  nobody 
koowa  to  whem}  there  eziste  lu)  4eiibt  whatevei^  ^st^  thai  thie^' 


CONCLUSION, 


498 


(MiMBiiiiktioii  of  our  oredit  would  be  eiSBotod  to-morrow;  and 
Moondly,  that  nobody  would  own  to  the  blune  I 

Now,  if  underhand  dealing  was  the  oharaoteriatie  of  the 
English  peasant,  if,  like  the  owl  and  the  bat,  he  had  a  propen- 
sity for  darkness,  it  would,  of  ooorse,  be  eai^  to  prevail  imon 
him  to  avoid  the  dayli^t ;  bat  instead  of  this  being  his  ohar- 
aoter,  even  in  fighting  with  his  antagonist  he  disdains  to  strike 
a  foul  blow.  Look  at  our  railways :  they  have  thrown  out  o^ 
employment  hundreds  of  thousands  of  hud-working  men,  who 
honestly  gained  their  subsistenoe  Jby  a  system  of  travelling  that 
has  been  suddenly  superseded.  Why  have  these  poor  men  ab- 
stained from  revengina  themselves  bv  placing  at  midnight 
some  obstmotion  on  tine  iron  path  that  has  ruined  themf 
Why,  simply  beoause  as  Englishmen  it  is  out  of  their  nature 
to  assassinate  even  property.  Far,  therefore^  from  entertain- 
ing any  oowardlv  desire  to  vote  in  ucret^  their  notion  of  free- 
dom is  to  drink  strong  beer  till  they  can  hardly  see ;  then 
arm-in-arm,  with  colours  streaming  from  their  hats,  to  walk  to 
the  hustings,  roaring,  with  barn-door  mouths,  all  the  way  they 
go,  <*  Squire and  Indbpbndxmcb  roa  svra  I  ▲  labob 

LOAF,  AND  NO  PoPBKT  1"^  "^  ' 

Now,  instead  of  enoourai^ng  open  dealing-^the  Inrthright 
of  an  Englishman — our  uppermost  olawMs,  sad  to  say,  are 
making  every  endeavour  to  inculcate  in  the  minds  of  the  illit- 
erate a  depraved  desire  for  power  to  assassinate  in  the  dark 
not  only  our  Public  Faith  ana  the  continuance  of  a  Oivil  List 
for  the  support  of  the  Orown,  but  irresponsibly  and  with  the 
Utmost  facility  to  sweep  away  every  enactment  that  now  pre- 
vents them  from  socially  dividing  among  themselves  that  im- 
mense property  of  the  country  which  industry  and  intelligence 
have  graduallv  amassed,  and  which  our  institutions  have  nith- 
ierto  protected. 

For  instance,  in  our  leading  newspaper  there  has  latelv 
been  made,  by  a  member  of  the  House  of  Oommons,  the  fol- 
lowing extraordinary  announcement :— > 


"To  THE  Editob  or  TBX  'Tdodb.' 


*' Observing  in  the  *  Times'  of  to-day  that  yon  describe  the  snecesB 
of  the  question  of  the  biQlot  during  the  late  session  of  Parliament  as  one 
^  the  aecisive  defeats  of  the  present  Ministir,  I  submit  to  yon  that  snoh 
a  statement  is  erroneous.    Lord  John  RusseH  has  always  considered  the 


404 


A  FAGOOT  OF  FUXStOff  STICKS. 


'mmnmuMk optn quwtlon,  and  iUi  prineipal  rappart  ki d«riT«d  ittm 
memben  of  hii  Lordship's  QovernnMnt  Thu^  in  the  laa^  division,  with 
its  oofitoomitdnt  list  of  pairs,  you  will  find  that  the  Master  of  the  RolK 
the  Attorney  and  Solicitor  Generals,  a  m^ority  of  the  Lords  of  the  Ad> 
miralty,  an  oqnal  division  of  the  ofBoers  oi  the  Ordnance,  and  a  mi^rity 
of  the  Qneen's  Household,  fsanotetm  th>  baixot. 

«    -      "I  am,  Sir, 
yFiiniin&&  **  Tomi  obediently,  , 

"  F.  HniBT  F.  BvuLKun; 
^  Vktoria  Square,  Aug,  0(A,  1861." 

In  ,what  a  fitlaepoBition  does  this  announoement  place  the 
British  nation  I  How  justly  may  the  ruling  statesmen  and 
capitalists  of  Europe  say  to  us,  "  in  the  name  of  common  hon- 
9Sty,  what  doM  all  this  mean  ?  Are  you  Englishmen  faithful 
to  your  noble  institutions,  or  are  you  not  ?  If  you  are,  whT 
are  you  hurrying  vour  people  towards  democracy,  whion  wiU 
ruin  first  you  and  then  them  as  it  is  ruining  us  9  Tour  illit- 
erate classes  are  not  asking  for  baUot,-r-haye  no  hankering  to 
he  placed  under  Jewish  legislators ;  wh^  therefore  force  these 
changes  upon  them?  And  above  all,  in  attempting  to  do  so, 
how  in  the  face  of  Christendom  can  yon  presume  to  exert  the 
influence  of  the  British  Grown  for  measures  inconsistent  with 
your  reli|;ion,  your  monarchy,  and,  as  you  well  ^nou^  incoin- 
patible  with  tne  maintenance  of  your  public  faith  ? 

^' While  we,  in  our  respective  countries,  are  pointing  to 
your ,  Institutions  as  the  legislative  model  of  sound  practical 
.Liberty,  your  people,  in  the  name  of  their  Sovereign,  are  not 
only  encouraged,  but  by  the  Ministers  of  Her  Grown,  in  both 
Houses  of  Parliament,  are  invited^  to  demand  extensions  of 
the  suffrage^  which  the  instant  it  be  made  universal  consti- 
tutes a  republic  j  and  theiH-alas  i  when  it  is  too  late — ^your 
virtuous  Queen,  in  poverty  and  retirement,  for  the  remainder 
of  her  davs,  will  mourn  with  us  over  the  irreligion,  woe,  deso- 
lation and  destruction  of  property,  that  unnecessarily  and  un- 
naturally have  been  effected  in  Her  Name  I" 

•  •  •  «  •  - 

Although  on  arriving  at  Boulogne  we  found  a  smoking 
steamer  awaiting  the  train,  I  could  hardly  shake  off  the  mel- 
ancholy reflections  which,  on  leaving  the  Bepublio  of  France, 
had  most  unwelcomely  been  occupying  my  mind.  I  had,  how- 
ever, scarcely  descended  about  fourteen  feet  from  the  pier  to 
the  deck  of  the  packet,  when  the  ladder  was  hauled  up,  and  in 


CONCLUSION, 


416 


the  same  in8t«nt  there  was  loudly  exclaimed  in  a  boy's  voice, 
dose  to  me, 

"  ]Jeav«  OSTABN  I" 

For  upwards  of  three  weeks  I  had  scarcely  spoken  my  own 
language  ;  and  as  Johnson's  Dictionary  does  not  contain  two 
words  that  at  the  moment  could  have  been  more  acceptable  to 
me,  my  heart  thrilled  as  I  heard  them. 

A  slight  little  long  grey  stain  in  the  sky,  about  as  broad 
as  my  thumb-nail,  just  above  the  western  horizon,  gradually 
became  more  and  more  perceptible,  until,  in  the  -course  ox 
rather  more  than  two  hours,  being  converted  into  white  cliffs. 
I  not  only  gazed  upon  what  did  my  eves  more  good  than  all 
the  hot  ana  cold  lotions  to  which  they  had  been  subjected,  but 
I  eventually  landed  on — never|  I  hope,  to  leave  it  again — my 
own  country. 

"Enolaio),  wttr  aix  rat  fatjltb,  I  lovs  thbb  smxl" 


THE  END. 


